


The Chef's Princess

by LadyKae



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Fantasy, Hand Jobs, Handcuffs, Light Bondage, Minor Character Death, Minor Character(s), Oral Sex, Romance, Sex Toys, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 16:18:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 71,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13275237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKae/pseuds/LadyKae
Summary: Sanji is known for being a lady's man, both in and out of the bedroom. He's also known for being an overbearing flirt. But what if there is a reason for why he's as flirtatious as he is? A reason that not even his closest friends would even suspect? What if that was what led to him donning the code name 'Mr. Prince' when they had been going up against Crocodile's forces in Alabasta?The crew has been in the New World for about half a year now, and they are coming into port at the quaint island town of Romoria. Sanji suddenly believes he's going crazy when the city's most famous seamstress comes into his life and instantly makes him think of his past, reminding him of a woman he had loved and lost.  And when danger rears its ugly head, things come to light that he would have never believed possible.**Brought over from my account on AFF**





	1. Every Beginning...

“ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

All the patrons looked up at the sound of the terrified woman’s scream. A woman in regal dress had jumped out of her seat and was currently crying out in fear.

There was a gigantic rat sitting in her salad.

Eight year old Tamara smirked a little when neither of her parents were looking. Then again, her mother was a little too preoccupied with her appetizer to be looking at her. She had managed another successful prank, she mused with glee.

“ What’s the problem over here?” came a gruff voice.

“ Your waiter served my wife, the Denebran queen, a contaminated salad!” her father raged.

Tamara was the princess of the nation of Denebra, the ruling body of the North Blue. She had a bad habit of pranking anyone and everyone she could, mostly the palace staff who took it in stride as they knew the princess was lonely with no playmates, and she had forgotten one little detail with this prank.

She wasn't back at the palace, where the staff would laugh off the harmless prank.

“ This toy?” This man had to be the owner, Tamara realized. His mustache was so long it was braided, and his hat was ridiculously tall! He picked up the over chewed squeaker toy from the salad and his glare leveled directly on Tamara.

 _Oh damn..._ she thought.

Busted.

 

* * *

 

  
“ PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT! I AM THE CROWNED PRINCESS OF DENEBRA AND YOU WILL NOT MANHANDLE ME IN SUCH A MANNER!” Tamara screeched as she was drug through the restaurant’s kitchen by the collar of her dress. Her little legs and arms were flailing wildly as she tried to get out of the owner’s grasp.

“ First things first girl. Here you are no princess. Your father feels that working here for the summer will not only cure you of your incessant pranking, but will teach you a lesson. You ruined a perfectly good salad, and by the sea, you will learn to respect food by the time you’re done here. You will either refer to me as chef, or owner. I’m the one in charge here.” The owner’s eyes narrowed as he set Tamara down and he tossed her a kitchen smock and skirt. “ I’ll have Sanji bring a pair of sensible shoes for you to wear in the kitchen. Get changed.”

“ As if I’d fit into a man’s shoes.” Tamara huffed as she crossed her arms.

“ Sanji’s not much older than you, brat. Now, do as I said and get changed.”

Tamara went to retort, but the old man’s gaze all but told her that he would have no qualms in changing her himself if she didn’t comply. Well, no time like the present.

 

* * *

 

 

“ SANJI!”

A ten year old boy burst into the kitchen almost instantly after hearing his name. His blonde hair was a little disheveled in his haste, but he had a big smile on his face nonetheless. “ What do you want, geezer? I’m only three minutes behind getting back from my lunch break. I had to grab those shoes you asked me for as it stands.”

“ Get over here and show this other brat how to properly peel the potatoes once she puts them on.” Zeff, the owner of Baratie said.

“ I am not a brat!” came the immediate protest. “ I am a princess and I refuse to do such menial labor!” Her big blue eyes were narrowed on Zeff and she shot Sanji a dirty look as well.

Zeff laughed loudly as he ruffled the girl’s hair. He couldn’t help but admire Tamara’s spunk and fire. She reminded of him of Sanji so much it was a little comical. The two would probably get along famously. “ You should have thought of that before you pranked your mother the way you did aboard my ship, brat. It was your father’s idea to make you work here for the summer to teach you a lesson, Tamara” Zeff looked over to Sanji and he smirked as he tilted his head over to the young girl. “ Sanji, this is Tamara, Princess and heir apparent to the Denebran throne. As you know, the Denebrans are the ruling body of the North Blue. Tamara, this is Sanji.”

“ Pleased to meet you.” Tamara said tightly. She certainly didn’t look all that pleased to be there.

“ She’s going to be bunking in your room Sanji, so you’re either going to sleep on the floor or room with Patty and Carne.” Zeff said seriously. He wasn’t going to allow the girl to be uncomfortable. She was a princess after all.

“ I’ll sleep on the floor. Patty and Carne snore.” Sanji replied. “ Besides, a gentleman always allows a lady the comfort of his bed. Just find me a futon or something. Oh. It’s nice to meet you too, princess.” He took up a paring knife as he stood beside Tamara and he gave her a bright smile. “ Just carefully run the knife right under the skin like this. We need to get the potatoes ready for the dinner rush later, okay?”

Tamara couldn’t stay the blush that captured her cheeks as Sanji smiled at her like that. She had never been around other kids before, not even her cousin Aden was allowed to play with her. One look to her right where Zeff still stood; as well as the smile on his face for that matter, told her that he had seen it too. “ Like this?” she asked softly. She began mimicking Sanji’s movements and he looked over to her.

“ Not too bad, but try to leave as much of the flesh on as possible. I’ve got it from here, geezer. I think I can hear Patty and Carne going at it again.” Sanji said. He knew damn well the other cooks weren’t going back and forth as they were wont to do. Sanji was just trying to get Zeff out of the way. The old man would be too harsh on the girl. At least Sanji would be able to keep her from feeling a good chunk of that harshness. She was pretty for her age too. Maybe the same age as him, give or take a year or two. She had long brown hair that reached to the small of her back, though it was braided to keep it out of the way, and her bright blue eyes were watching her every movement. Already she had vastly improved on just cutting the skin away. Her nose was a little big for her face, but Sanji had a feeling she would grow into it when she got older.

The girl beside him would grow to be a hell of a gorgeous woman. Sanji was sure of that.

“ I’m sorry you have to sleep on the floor.” Tamara said softly. “ Though I thank you. You’re being quite hospitable despite the fact that the old fart gave you no choice in the matter.” She was a very quick study, Sanji noted. She was on her third potato and she was only taking the skin at this point. She’d make for a damn fine cook if she wasn’t royalty.

“ I don’t mind. Like I told the geezer, a lady deserves the comfort of a bed. If you don’t want me rooming with you, that’s fine too. I’ll sleep in Patty and Carne’s room.” Sanji replied. “ And you’re welcome.” He snorted a little as he thought of what Tamara had just called Zeff. “ I’ll have to remember that one.” he chuckled softly. “ It’ll be refreshing to have something else to call Old Man Zeff. What’s Denebra like?”

Tamara smiled as she thought about her homeland. “ It’s beautiful. It’s a chain of closely knit  islands at the end of the North Blue, with lush forests, big bold mountains, rolling fields, and bountiful lakes all connected by bridges made of the finest marble. My favorite thing to watch is the wild horses running over the fields of the main isle. They’re so graceful, balanced, and strong.” She sighed a little wistfully and Tamara dropped her potato into the bowl for chopping. " Maybe you can come see it sometime?" She had a big smile on her face as she looked to Sanji now and he gave her a bright one in return.

" You bet! I haven’t been to that part of the north blue yet! You see, I was born there in a little village called Croquette…" Sanji replied excitedly striking up a conversation with the young princess. It was rare he had a chance to actually talk about where he had come from.

And thus, a strong friendship was formed.

 

* * *

 

 

Tamara and Sanji grew close quickly, and the two children could always be seen running around during the off time either playing tag or hide and go seek. Tamara would sit down to watch Zeff teach Sanji his fighting style, her sharp eyes picking up every movement as the two trained together.

“ Are you just going to sit there and watch?” Zeff called out to her one morning.

Tamara seemed surprised at this. She still had a few months left on the ship with them, three if she remembered right. She had spent the last three weeks just watching them. “ You’re serious?” she asked.

“ I wouldn’t have told you to get over here if I wasn’t, brat. Sanji, I know you two are up earlier than the rest of us for the most part. Start running Tamara through what I’ve been training you for the last seven months.” Zeff ordered.

Sanji spat in distaste. “ I’m not going to hit her, Zeff.” he retorted. His grey blue eyes were narrowed on the restaurant owner at the very suggestion. After all, Zeff had all but beat it into him so far that he was never to kick a woman, ever.

“ Just show her the proper form of the kicks I’ve taught you so far, you damn brat. I won’t have anyone aboard this ship who cannot fight.”

Tamara bristled. So he thought she was weak just because she was royalty?! The nerve of that damned old fart! “ I assure you that I’ve been learning how to wield a blade since I was only three.” she snapped.

“ A lot of good that’ll do you here, unless you can use the kitchen knives as swords.” Zeff countered. His gaze was locked directly onto the girl’s right now. Yes, she had fire and passion. She was a born fighter, Zeff could see that. It was a shame that she would be coddled for the rest of her days once she left Baratie.

“ Any blade will do.” Tamara answered him defiantly. " I don't need your fancy footwork to survive either." She could feel both Zeff's and Sanji's displeasure with her for that statement.

Zeff clucked his tongue as he turned sharply to head inside. “ Get to work on training her, brat!” He snapped.

Tamara looked back over to Sanji who was giving her a rather cool glare. " I'm sorry Sanji...I was trying to piss that old fart off. I need to start thinking before I speak, I know.." she whispered when Zeff was back inside the restaurant.

" He's trying to help you, you know. What if you can't find yourself near a blade if we get attacked by pirates? Don't you want to protect your hands, Tamara? You told me once you liked to sew, and that you dreamed of making the world's most beautiful wedding dress one day. You don't care about the fact that you're a princess. I like that about you. But everything Zeff has been doing since your old man decided to punish you is to give you a sense of belonging. I don't care that you're a princess. You're my friend Tamara. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth though. Now, it's going to take time to put some power behind these kicks, especially since we're kids, but I'll run you through how you're supposed to do them." Sanji walked behind Tamara and he took both her hands so as to steady her. " Balance on your right leg and bring the left one up...Here, just follow my movements.”

Tamara was blushing brightly, but she managed to follow Sanji’s movements with little trouble. It was as if he was leading her while they were dancing. Her blue eyes looked over her shoulder a moment to look at Sanji and he gave her a small smile, one that she returned right away. Well, it would be good to have something else to fall back on, just in case.

 

* * *

 

 

It was late, much later than either of the children was supposed to be awake. Yet they both were for different reasons. Tamara was sitting up in the bed with her knees pulled up against her chest. She was sure Sanji had fallen asleep a little over an hour ago and Tamara sniffled a little as she fought to brush her tears away. They were coming faster than she could stem them. She choked back a sob and she hurriedly covered her mouth to quiet herself.

Sanji was turned away from Tamara, his eyes slit in his nervousness. He wasn’t sure what to do. Did he fake just waking and make her feel worse for waking him? Did he let her knew he had heard every little sniffle and sob?  _I can’t take this any more. She’s homesick and Zeff cut into her really bad today. She only needs a friend right now._ the boy thought determinedly. Finally, Sanji sat up and he walked over to his bed. Tamara hadn’t even taken notice of him yet. He sat beside her, and wordlessly Sanji pulled Tamara into his arms. He didn’t need to say anything and neither did she. It wasn’t his business, but he wasn’t going to make her feel alone either. Sanji couldn’t do that to Tamara, not when she was in such a frail state as this. Tamara stiffened a little at the contact, but then her arms flew around his chest and she tried to bury her face against his neck.

Sanji leaned against the wall, his fingers still moving up and down Tamara’s back. She had fallen asleep against him and the boy couldn’t bring himself to wake her.  _You shouldn’t get so close to her...She goes home next month._  he thought. But even then, Sanji knew that the friendship that he and Tamara had sprung up would last a lifetime. She truly had become his best friend over the course of the last three months.Sanji couldn’t help but smile a little as he looked down at her. Tamara had trusted him enough to allow him this close, closer that he thought she ever would have considering she was a princess. He wasn’t going to betray that trust.

Ever.

 

* * *

  

Tamara was dressed in a simple gown and her hair was braided back as it had been for some time. She turned to Zeff with a smile. Her father’s ship was approaching quickly and there was something that she needed to speak with both the adults about. “ Thank you, chef.” she said with a polite bow. “ I know I must have been a little terror at times, but thank you.”

Zeff smiled. Sanji had yet to turn to her. “ You’re still a brat.” the old chef said.

Tamara walked over to Sanji with a sad smile on her face. “ You’ll come visit Denebra soon, right?” she asked quietly.

“ That’s up to the old geezer.” Sanji replied glumly. He couldn’t even look her in the eye right now, he was torn up at the fact she actually had to leave. He felt Tamara’s arms wind around his neck as she gave him a hug and Sanji hesitantly brought his own arms around her. It was going to be too quiet without her here. There were no other kids his age. How would he ever see her again? Would she forget the time she spent here soon?

“ Tamara, are you ready?” came a deep, gentle voice. “ Chef Zeff. Good to see you again.”

“ Your majesty.” Zeff replied with a curt bow. “ I dare say the reason she was pranking everyone as heavily as she was was because she had no one her age to interact with. As you can see, both your daughter and my charge have become quite close in the time that she’s spent here.” Both men looked over to where Tamara was still hugging Sanji tightly, though she was crying into his chef’s smock now. Sanji was holding her just as fiercely, though he wasn’t crying as hard as his friend was. “ Granted a few pranks have been pulled since then, but nothing major. Water balloons and flour. Stuff like that.” Zeff put a hand on each of their heads a moment and they looked up at him. “ It’ll definitely be quieter without her here.”

Tamara looked over to her father, and he gave her a soft smile. “ Papa...I’d like to come back during the summer time if that’s alright.” Tamara said. “ I know it’s not something a princess should be doing, but…” She paused as she drew upon her inner well of courage. “ I had fun here. I have friends here. I’ve learned a lot, and I want to learn more too. I can still be a princess even if I like doing such menial things. It’ll keep me humble.”

Tamara’s father looked over to Zeff, who looked curious as well. “ I’ll leave that decision in your hands, chef.” he said with a small smile. He raised his hands in surrender as Tamara and Sanji looked between them hopefully.

“ I’ll allow it.” Zeff replied and both children smiled brightly. “ On one condition however. No more pranking, keep up on your studies. And you had better be able to hold your own with what Sanji and I have taught you when you come back next May.”

Tamara nodded enthusiastically. “ I will, chef. I promise. Papa. I’ll need to start training more with Martin and Touza!”

“ Alright, Tamara. We’ll set that up when we get back to Denebra. Chef. Thank you. Say goodbye to your friend Tamara. And young man…”

Sanji’s interest piqued a little as he looked up at the denebran king. “ Yes your majesty?”

“ You’re welcome to write Tamara as often as you like and vice versa. I’m glad she finally has a friend her age. And if you ever want to visit, that’s fine by me as well. I doubt Tamara’s mother will complain either.” His kind blue eyes met Sanji’s and the boy gave him a bright smile. “ If it’s alright with Chef Zeff, I can bring you back with us and you can come back just before the winter months start.”

“ Maybe next year, your majesty.” Sanji replied. “ We’re still a little short staffed right now, especially with Tamara leaving too. Thank you for the offer, but I need to stay here for now. We’ll see you next May then Tamara?”

Tamara laughed and gave Sanji a thumbs up. “ Sounds like a plan to me.” she said excitedly. She gave her friend a quick thumbs up and then Tamara turned to Zeff. “ Thank you again, chef.”

“ Don’t go thanking me yet, brat. Next year will be even busier than we were this summer. I’ll be putting you to work on top of everything else.” Zeff retorted.

Tamara laughed and she gave the old man a hug as well. “ I’m counting on it, chef.” she whispered in his ear.

Zeff couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled forth nor could he keep the smile off of his face. Sanji was waving wildly to her as Tamara and her father boarded his ship and she bent over the bow in order to wave back. “ You and that girl are quite the pair, like two peas popped from the same pod.”

Sanji smirked a little as he looked up to Zeff. The ship had finally disappeared off the horizon. “ She was lonely. I was too. But now, we both know we have one another. She’s my best friend Zeff. That’s something that’ll never change.” Sanji replied.

 

* * *

 

 

The next summer found Tamara back at Baratie and she smiled brightly when she saw Zeff and Sanji waiting for her on the deck of the restaurant. She jumped over the port bow the minute the ship was moored and she ran over to Sanji, who met her in the middle.

" You're back!" he exclaimed happily. He looked over his friend's shoulder to Tamara's father, King Percival, as he came up behind her and he gave the king a hurried, but polite bow. "Your majesty."

Percival laughed a bit. " It's fine, Sanji, I'm travelling incognito right now. No need for such formalities."

" Why don't you two get her things up to your room and then head down to the dining room for supper. The boys should be about done by the time you two get Tamara unpacked." Zeff ordered.

Sanji and Tamara both nodded and the two children ran into the restaurant without another word.

" Thank you for allowing her back, Chef. Coming back to Baratie is all she's been able to talk about for the last month alone." Percival chortled. " I noticed that she and Sanji have been writing a lot of letters back and forth."

Zeff nodded. " It's good that he has a friend his age, and I'm glad that her highness feels the same way. As for allowing her back, Tamara said it herself. Working here with us will keep her humble. A humble queen will better understand her needy subjects. I hope you have no objections to me teaching how to fight."

" I've been watching her practice what you taught her last year and I must admit, I'm intrigued. She refused to use her hands for anything, but both Martin and Touza have informed me that she has a strong set of legs for someone her age." Percival smiled as he shook his head. " Would it be any trouble if my crew and I joined all of you for supper tonight? This way I can spend a little more time with Tamara?"

" That's perfectly fine, your majesty. I'm honored that you would dine with us." Zeff said honestly. Now he could see where Tamara was getting that humbleness from. Percival had it in spades.

 

* * *

 

 

Tamara and Sanji smiled as they set the table for everyone. This was one of their chores once their meal times came and the two would turn it into a race to see who could set their side of the table the fastest. This was no different.

" Ha!" Tamara crowed. " I've been gone the last eight months and I still beat you!"

Sanji laughed. " You're on your own in the morning anyway. I'm on cooking detail for breakfast and prep during the lunch and dinner rushes." Sanji retorted with a smirk.

" I'm putting Tamara on the line with you, Sanji." Zeff said imperiously. " In other words, not only do both of you have to help with cooking, but set the table as well."

Tamara smirked back at Sanji. " I didn't sit on my laurels when I went home you know. I help out three to four times a week in the palace kitchens so that I don't get rusty." she said with a shrug.

Sanji snickered. " I bet the head chef there about had a heart attack at first."

Percival chuckled. " You're not too far off the mark. It wasn't until Tamara proved that she could start cooking that he allowed her in the kitchens with them. Admittedly, she's not half bad."

" Thanks Papa." Tamara said. " Are you getting ready to head out?"

" No, you need to get ten more settings. They'll be joining us tonight before they head off." Zeff replied.

" Yes chef!" both the children answered simultaneously.

" They're quite the pair, aren't they?" Percival murmured softly. His smile was soft as he watched Tamara interact with her friend and he looked over to Zeff. " I wanted to ask you first, but if Sanji wishes to visit Denebra come September, will I be permitted to bring him back with me for the fall months? It's only fair that he be allowed to spend the same amount of time with us at the palace as our guest as you accommodate Tamara's visits."

" Just bring a cook or two to intern here, and I'll allow it. The boy may not look it now, but he's fast in the kitchen and one of my best cooks. Sanji's going to make a hell of a chef come one day." Zeff replied.

Percival nodded in agreement. “ Both of them will make for fine adults when they grow up. Tamara hasn’t been able to stop talking about Sanji all week.” he chortled.

Zeff chuckled as well. “ It’s been the same with Sanji. He hasn’t said anything, but he’s been taking his meals on the deck for the last week while waiting for you and your daughter to arrive.” The food began coming from the kitchens the minute Tamara set the last fork into place. Hopefully, this summer would be as uneventful as last years.  _Not a chance with those two..._ Zeff thought with a small laugh as he looked back over to Sanji and Tamara. Both were seated beside the girl's father and the king was listening to them as they chattered on. That man must have the patience of a saint to try to listen to both of them at the same time.

No, this summer was probably going to be just as rowdy as last years, especially where those two were concerned. Zeff was positive of that.

 

* * *

 

 

Tamara and Sanji came up the stairs into the kitchen, each hauling a tub full of dishes that needed to be washed. Both kids were calling about ‘Behind you!’ so that no one bumped them or vice versa.

“ I told you, you idiot! That pot needs to simmer for another fifteen minutes! I just stirred it a minute ago!” Patty yelled from the cooks line where he was currently plating.

“ And I’m telling you this soup is going to be rendered inedible if you keep it on the burner at that heat!” Carne argued back. He picked the pot up, but due to his yelling he had not heard or seen Tamara coming around him. Both suddenly bumped into one another and the tub of dishes crashed to the floor along with Tamara.

Zeff was on the other side of the kitchen when he heard Tamara’s scream. His blue eyes went wide in worry and the old man hurried from where he was prepping the vegetables for the dinner time rush. Sure enough, there was a crowd of chefs gathered near some broken dishes. Dammit, if one of those bumbling idiots had thrown a dish and and hit Tamara or if Tamara had cut herself on it, he was going to throttle someone. “ Let me through!” Zeff ordered. “ Everyone back to their posts this instant!”

As the throng cleared, the sight that came to Zeff was much worse than he thought. There were not only broken dishes strewn across the floor, but there was piping hot chowder as well, the clam chowder that was supposed to have been today’s special. The pot lay on it’s side, and Tamara's head was currently in Sanji’s lap. She was gripping the boy’s pants tightly as she tried her best not to make too much noise. She couldn’t alarm the customers more than she probably already had. Her left arm, due to her sleeve being rolled up past her elbow, was severely blistered and red from just above her elbow down to the middle of her forearm.

“ Oh lord.” he whispered under his breath. “ Carne, get this mess cleaned up now and get another batch of chowder going. Patty, get Tamara up to my room now. I need to see if there’s a doctor present. If not, the two of us will need to set sail immediately. Sanji. Go get one of your short sleeved tee shirts so that we can get as much away from that burn as possible.”

Sanji looked hesitant to leave Tamara, as she was still holding onto him with a death grip. It was taking everything in her not to scream in the obvious pain she was in. Patty reached down to pick the girl up, and Tamara hissed as her arm was forced to move with her.

“ Sanji…I’ll be fine for now. Just do what chef asked you to do…” Tamara said. There was sweat beading on her brow, but she gave Sanji a small, but pain laced, smile.

Sanji nodded and he took off up the stairs before Patty did with Tamara in tow.

 

* * *

 

 

Zeff walked into the dining room with a weary look on his face. “ I am sorry to bother all of you, but I must ask if there is a doctor currently present in the house. We unfortunately had an incident in the kitchen that requires immediate medical attention.” he said carefully.

“ I’m a doctor!” came a voice from one of the tables. “ I’ll go get my supplies from the boat I was on!”

 _Thank goodness…_ Zeff thought. It would have been much worse for Tamara if they had needed to wait the two days it took to get to town. His brow furrowed. Now he needed to find out what had happened to cause this mess.

 

* * *

 

 

Sanji was sitting outside of Zeff’s room, his back leaning against the wall and his legs pulled up to his chest. Zeff, Tamara, and the doctor had been in there for the last three hours, and it had Sanji worried that he couldn’t be in there with her. He hadn’t been able to hear much, but to her credit, Tamara hadn’t screamed in agony like she had when the pot had fallen on her arm. The hottest part, the bottom, had hit first, and Sanji swore that he had actually hear a sizzle there for a moment when it connected to her unguarded skin. They had all stood there in shock for a moment until Tamara had screamed. That had been when Sanji had kicked it to the floor.

By that point the damage had been done.

Finally the door opened and the doctor stepped out. “ I’ll let my crew know we’ve been invited to join all of you for supper. Thank you for the extra meal chef.” he said.

“ Doctor Summers, I should be thanking you. Your crews tab from today is on the house for attending to the princess as quickly as you did. I’m sorry I can’t offer more.” Zeff replied as he too stepped from the room.

“ You’ve got a weeks worth of bandages, and I can work on some medicine that will help her highness with the pain she’s in. I want to make sure she has enough until that burn heals better. I’m also going to be making her a cream that will need to be applied every day with the bandage change. All together that’ll take me three days. Such a strong girl…” Summers whispered in awe. “ I can’t believe she didn’t scream once during the whole thing.”

Zeff looked down to Sanji. “ Then you and your crew will be joining us for meals for the next three days. It’s the least we can do to thank you. As for her strength...I think it was more that she was trying to keep her best friend from worrying too much.” he said as he ruffled Sanji’s hair. “ Go get her some consomme and some bread rolls and then some dinner for yourself. She doesn’t need anything too heavy in her stomach right now with as much pain as she’s in. I’ll be taking her back to your room once Doctor Summers and I finish talking.”

Sanji nodded. “ Yes chef.” he replied hurriedly.

 

* * *

 

 

Tamara was still sweating bullets as she laid in bed. The doctor had said it was a third degree burn, and that she would have some scarring from it. He had done his best to remove all the blistered and blackened skin from her arm. She got lucky, it hadn’t it her hand. She would have been devastated if she couldn’t sew anymore.

Sanji soon entered the room with a tray and Tamara sat up with some difficulty. “ Just lean against the wall, Mara. I’ll take care of you for now.” he said gently.

“ My right hand still works, Sanji.” she retorted. “ I don’t need to be pampered.”

“ I know you’re left handed Tamara. I found that out when we were julienning the carrots the other afternoon. You were cutting the opposite way I was.” Sanji’s voice had an edge to it that was hard to miss. He was glowering at her openly and Tamara caved with a slump of her shoulders. “ You realize that you don’t have to put on a front around me. I know you’re hurting. You don’t have to try to hide it, alright?”

Tamara nodded slowly. “ I just don’t want to look like the weak little princess to all of you.” she whimpered. “ This is the one place I don’t have to act prim and proper. I can actually be a kid…” She was getting ready to say more when Sanji popped one of the two bread rolls he had brought for her into her mouth.

“ You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You need to eat though. You haven’t had anything since breakfast.” Sanji said with a smirk. That got him a pained glare in retaliation though Tamara chewed it.

 

* * *

 

 

When Zeff came into Sanji’s room to check on his charges, he found them fast asleep in a position not unlike what he had seen earlier. By the look of things, Sanji had been reading to her while she rested her head against the pillow in his lap and his hand was sitting atop the chocolate colored curls at the nape of her neck. He must have been running his hand through her hair... Her left arm was stretched out, her fingers slightly curled in relaxation. Doctor Summers had managed to make some of the pain reliever for her after he had finished with her treatment earlier. Good to see it was working so well.

Smiling softly, Zeff eased Sanji off the wall enough to wrap his blanket around him. He wasn’t going to move either of them while they slept so soundly. Besides, after the day Tamara had had, some exceptions needed to be made.

 

* * *

 

 

Six years later:

  
“ Tamara!”

Fifteen year old Tamara was in the middle of packing her things for her annual summer trip to Baratie and she looked up in surprise as her father burst into her room. “ Papa?” she asked curiously. “ Papa what’s wrong?”

Percival pulled Tamara in close by her shoulders as he looked around hurriedly. So far no one had followed him. “ I need you to do something for me.” he whispered. “ Magnus is making his move. No matter what news you hear, do not return in September. If you can, stay on Baratie. At least I know you’ll be safe there.” He knew she would be more than safe. Sanji had been to visit a few times in the winter months when the seasonally slow period hit the restaurant and the king could see how the two youngsters acted with one another. They were extremely close, and acted more as if they were courting than as friends nowadays. Especially if the month Sanji had spent with them earlier in the year said anything. He wanted to tell Tamara how much he and her mother approved of the young man, how they loved the light and laughter Sanji brought her with his presence. He wanted Tamara to pursue a relationship with him, to find her own happiness away from Denebra. To follow her own dreams as opposed to what her heritage dictated. There wasn't much time and there were too many eyes and ears about nowadays. He wanted his daughter as safe as possible.

Tamara face paled. “ Papa...Please tell me that’s not true.” she whimpered. “ Magnus can’t be allowed to keep doing this! He’s going to kill all of us if he keeps this up and the people will only allow it!”

“ He can’t kill you if he can’t get to you. Magnus can’t stand the sea...He wouldn’t dare go after you. Give this letter to Zeff when you get there. It explains everything that’s going on. Just promise me you will not return to Denebra.” the king pleaded desperately with his daughter.

“ I can’t make that promise. I don’t know if Zeff will let me stay that long…” Tamara replied tearfully. Her thoughts turned to Baratie. She never wanted to leave Baratie again but she knew she would if her family was in danger. Even if it meant leaving Sanji behind. The boy had grown up into a handsome young man when she saw him last year. Even now, Tamara could feel her heart fluttering at the thought of him. He had been her closest friend for years. But he was quickly becoming more than that to Tamara.

Sanji was slowly capturing her heart without even trying.

 

* * *

 

 

Sanji was pacing his room a bit. Tamara would be pissed if she knew how much he had been smoking lately. All summer last year she had kept on his ass to quit smoking around her. He had switched to clove cigarettes earlier this year when he had caught a whiff of one during a smoke break from the kitchen. He had quickly fallen in love with their sweet scent. He looked at the calendar. She was supposed to be arriving in only a week! Dammit! How was he supposed to cut back that quick?! Sanji grabbed his plain clothes from his closet and stuffed them into a bag. He needed to go into town anyway.

“ Where do you think you’re going?” Patty demanded as Sanji strode confidently for his boat. “ You already did the shopping the other day.”

“ I forgot to get something. I’ll be back in time for Tamara to get here.” Sanji replied. “ Tell the old goat for me, will you?”

“ No need. Just be careful and make sure you get back here at least a day before Tamara arrives. Pick up some more food while you’re at it. Did you forget how much that girl can pack away?” Zeff had smirk on his face as he spoke. He tossed Sanji a bag with a good amount of berries inside for the shopping. It was more than enough to be honest. “ And make sure that whatever you get for Tamara for her birthday in August, grab something from the rest of us!”

Sanji smiled in return. “ You can do that yourself, old man. I’ll grab the extra food for sure though. I’ll be back in three days, four tops!”

 

* * *

 

 

Tamara had a worried smile on her face as she watched her father’s ship, the Golden Swan, disappear into the horizon. She had landed on Baratie a few minutes ago and she was trying to compose herself before she headed inside.  _I can only pray that Zeff will let me stay here…_ she thought nervously. As she drew closer to the entrance the door opened and she smiled brightly. " Sanji!" she exclaimed, and Tamara dropped her bag on the deck to go running over to him.

Sanji caught her in his arms and he spun her around. " It's about time you got here." he said.

" Oh get off it already. You're just mad because I missed the dinner rush." Tamara replied. She tousled Sanji's hair affectionately and he fussed a bit as he set to preening it back into place.

" Do you have to do that every time you come back for the summer?" He snarked. Sanji walked over to where Tamara had dropped her bag and he picked it back up for her.

" Yep. It's funny watching you fuss over your hair like that." Tamara laughed at the sour look she got and she smiled as he opened the door for her. That smile quickly faded though as Tamara pulled the letter from her father out of her bag. " Where's the old fart at? I need to talk to him about something important."

Sanji was confused at the worried tone in Tamara’s voice. Whatever it was, he'd get it out of her later. " Probably up in his room. I'll take your bag to my room then."

Tamara nodded as she went up the staircase to Zeff's room. The sooner she got this talk out of the way the better.

 

* * *

 

 

Zeff was sharpening his knives when Tamara walked into the room after he had given her the order to enter. “ Welcome back.” he grumped. The dinner rush had been wilder than usual. Then again, Sanji had been in a tizzy trying to get everything ready for when the girl before him arrived.

“ I’m sorry to bother you this late chef.” Tamara whispered. Her blue eyes were cast down to the floor as she closed the door behind her. “ There’s something extremely important I need to talk to you about.”

“ That important?” Zeff asked her. He put his knives down and he turned a little to allow Tamara to sit on the bed beside him. “ What’s going on, Mara?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and he pulled the young girl into his embrace. Though he would never show it outside of it being just the two of them, Zeff had a soft spot towards Tamara that was bigger than the East Blue. Tamara was the daughter he never had, just as Sanji was the son he never got to have.

Tamara’s face scrunched up as tears pricked at her eyes, and she gripped Zeff’s shirt tightly. “ Zeff…I'm scared...” she whimpered.

 

Sanji was staring through the darkness at the ceiling. Tamara was sleeping fitfully in his bed and every now and again she'd whimper as she dreamed. He was worried about her. In the last six years that she had been coming to Baratie, Tamara had never slept this lightly. Every bump had her bolting upright, every creak woke her with a start. It was as if every noise triggered an alarm inside her mind.

Sure enough, a long creaking sound had Tamara sitting upright once again and Sanji sat up as well. " Mara? What's wrong?" He asked her.

Tamara trembled a little as she held her face in her hands. " I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up, Sanji." She murmured. " Things have been very tense since I went back home last year. My uncle is trying to oust my father for the denebran throne and I'm worried of what I might return to when September comes." Tamara had spoken things over with Zeff in great detail and both agreed that it would be safer for her to stay on Baratie, but Tamara knew she was not going to abandon her family that easily. She had made up her mind that she would be returning to Denebra once the summer was over. " I spent many sleepless nights worrying about an assassination attempt..."

Sanji's brow tightened in worry and he got up from his futon. Sitting in the bed beside her, Sanji leaned her into his embrace. " You're safe here, Tamara. I won't let anything harm you. I promise." He said softly.

Tamara snuggled tightly against him and she sighed a little. " There are rumors that he's in league with pirates now...What if they attack here?" She mumbled against his chest.

Sanji shook his head. " You know as well as I do that we can fend off a pretty decent sized force. Remember last year when that band of pirates attacked us in an attempt to kidnap you for ransom?" He ran his left hand slowly up and down her back in an effort to soothe her and he blew a riotous chocolate curl out of his face.

Tamara chuckled. " We kicked their asses something fierce, huh?" She replied mirthfully.

They fell silent for a bit and Tamara looked up at Sanji with a tired grin. He had a knack for helping her feel better.

Sanji couldn't keep himself from staring at her. In the moonlight, Tamara had an ethereal glow that made her look angelic. As he had surmised years ago, the young woman in his arms was growing up beautifully. One hand settled against her cheek and she leaned into his touch. He leaned forward touching his head to hers in a show of affection. " Get some sleep. We have an early morning."

" Can you stay up here a little longer, at least until I fall asleep?" Tamara’s voice was nervous still and her troubled gaze met his worried one.

Sanji sighed in defeat and he laid down towards the pillows. Tamara followed suit and she felt him spoon around her and his arm tightened a little over her midriff. The feeling of safety washed over her after a few moments and Tamara sighed happily. This was something she wouldn't mind getting used to.

Little did Tamara know Sanji was thinking the same thing.

 

* * *

 

 

Zeff looked in through the window at the sleeping teens, his smile soft as he looked at how comfortable they were with one another. He wasn't all to surprised to see that Tamara was in need of comfort, and he was relieved to see that Sanji wasn't taking advantage of the situation. He was a healthy young man of seventeen after all and Tamara was beautiful for her age. Zeff knew that Sanji didn't consider Tamara as just a friend any longer, though he did his best to hide it when she was around. He only hoped Sanji could convince Tamara to stay once the summer months were over.

 

* * *

 

 

Sanji looked over his shoulder at the door to make sure Tamara wasn't going to come barging in. He looked down at his chest of drawers and he sighed a little as he looked at the little ring box that lay hidden in the top drawer. He had gone back to his hometown after Tamara had returned home last year to pick this up, though he was nervous as all hell about when he was going to give it to her. That was in two weeks, her sixteenth birthday...

Sanji hadn't even realized he had fallen hard for his best friend until she left last summer. As usual, the two had hugged and cried a little, but Tamara had done something different. She had given him a soft, lingering kiss on his cheek that had left Sanji's heart thundering in his chest. If only he had turned his head then, he had thought wistfully after the fact. He loved Tamara very deeply and had often day dreamed what it would be like if she never left. He had gotten a little glimpse of it here and there over the course of the last few months. He hadn't slept on the futon since she had returned, as if they both needed each others presence now as they slept. Every night, Sanji would hold her close to him, sometimes he would wake in the middle of the night to find Tamara half on top of him in an attempt to keep listening to his heartbeat. When they woke to the alarm, both would groan a bit, but once their eyes met, they would both smile shyly and set about getting ready for the day.

Sanji was determined as all hell to kiss her first before he gave her that ring though.

He heard footsteps stomping towards his room and Sanji hurriedly slammed the drawer shut before Tamara could come inside. He quickly made it look as if he was right in the middle of changing and the door opened too fast for him to react.

" Good god, I am going to have that bastard's head on a platter!" she seethed, only to stop short at the sight of Sanji pulling on a pair of jeans over his hips. Tamara blushed brightly as she turned away. " You should have locked the door."

Sanji smirked at the sight of the pink tinge on her cheeks. She looked insanely cute with it he realized. " And let you miss out on an opportunity to embarrass yourself?" he purred as he pulled on a tee shirt. " I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, now it makes me wonder just how far down that blush creeps."

Tamara’s blush intensified at Sanji flirtatious banter, though she couldn't lie that she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. His muscles had rolled like waves on the sea as he had pulled his shirt on. " Get changed and meet me at the boat. Zeff gave us the next two weeks off and I need to get away from here for a bit. I know you do too."

Tamara smirked. She could try to pull the same stunt he just had to see what the results would be. She might be only coming on sixteen, but her hormones were definitely in overdrive. There had been many a night in the shower where she had needed to work out some of the lustiness that sleeping beside him on a nightly basis had caused. " Hurry up and get out of here already so that I can change. Our bags are on the boat, right?"

Sanji nodded and he looked at the outfit Tamara was pulling out. Jean shorts, a tight fitting tank, and her favorite sandals. Dear god, she was going to have his tongue lolling out of his mouth if Sanji wasn't careful. " Don't keep me waiting long then." he whispered in her ear.

The door closed a moment later and Tamara shuddered a bit. Shit, now she had to change her knickers too. Damn Sanji and that voice of his.

 

* * *

 

 

Sanji and Tamara smiled as they steered the boat towards one of their favorite islands to visit. There was a festival happening in the next few days, and Tamara had always wanted to go to it. It was a two day trip, provided they kept course, and the teens were chattering excitedly as they finished their preparations.

Sanji could hardly keep his eyes off of Tamara. Granted, she was shorter than he was, but she had long, lean legs that he wanted to kiss and nibble on. Preferably in an intimate setting.  _I'm only a flesh and blood man and she's a beautiful young woman._ Sanji thought as he came back onto the deck. His breath was suddenly taken as he looked at her. Tamara was silhouetted against the sunset as she leaned against the bow, content to watch the waves roll by. Her luscious chocolate colored curls were hanging freely down her back, swaying softly in the sea breeze.

She was stunning, no...She looked like perfection. Even in a pair of jean shorts and a tank top; hardly the kind of clothing a princess should be wearing, Tamara looked nothing short of perfect to Sanji.

Silently, he joined her at the bow and one arm wrapped around her. His hand came to a rest on her hip and Tamara's arm snaked around his waist as well. Her head leaned against his shoulder and she sighed happily. " I need to ask you something." she whispered.

" You know you can talk to me about anything, Mara." Sanji replied. How long had it been since they had given her that nickname? It was safer in the long run to call her that, especially out in the open if they went into town. But to Sanji, it was more than that. He and Zeff were the only two people allowed to call her that in a private setting.

" If I stayed this time, what would you do?" Tamara's voice was as quiet as a summer breeze. Her head was still against his shoulder, her eyes straight ahead. She couldn’t believe she was even entertaining this idea. With every day that passed by, Tamara wanted to stay with Sanji. It went further than the feeling of safety he gave her when they slept. For those few hours, she felt as if nothing in the world was more important to him than holding her. The sun had set completely and the stars were starting to peak out as darkness crept further off of the horizon.

Sanji sighed heavily. The question was, what wouldn't he do? He was already planning on finding a way to keep her with him. Denebra wasn't safe for her right now, if it ever would be again, and Sanji not only wanted to secure her safety, but her happiness as well. He had them turn to face each other, and he leaned in close. Resting his head against hers, Sanji looked her in the eye. " There's quite a bit I'd do to be honest." he said, pulling away from her after a moment.

A swell rocked the boat, sending Sanji toppling into Tamara. Both crashed to the deck, face to face, nose to nose. Oh dear lord, he was right on top of her. Sanji could feel her breasts mashed against his chest, every luscious curve pressed against his toned lithe form. Shit, he was between her legs nonetheless and her hips were pressed tightly to his own!

 _Don't get a boner! DO NOT GET A BONER!_  he thought desperately. Sanji couldn't move, couldn't breathe! His face was on fire with as intensely as he was blushing and Tamara was a deep shade of crimson herself. His eyes peeked down a bit and his attempts to stave off nature's will were for not. That cute little blush traveled down her neck and came to a stop at the top of her breasts. The very breasts that were still tight against his chest.  _Shit...Tamara is going to kill me..._ he thought as his erection pulsed between them. It was taking all of his might to not roll his hips against hers, to not zero out the distance between them and show Tamara just how deeply he loved her.

Dear lord, Sanji loved her.

With a nervous swallow, Sanji began to pull his body away from hers and he bit back a groan as pleasure laced through him. Tamara gasped as well and her jaw dropped as the same feeling coursed through her.

Dammit. If she made that face again, he was done for. Before Sanji could lift himself completely off of Tamara, both her hands grabbed his tee shirt and her legs wrapped around his hips. Without even knowing how or when it happened, Sanji found himself on his back against the deck and Tamara had him pinned tightly.

“ Something like this?” Tamara asked him, her cerulean eyes liquid and impossibly blue. There was a huskiness to her voice that was impossible to miss.

“ Not quite.” Sanji replied, pulling Tamara tight against him and rolling over to pin her once more. “ Something more like this.” Without thinking, Sanji kissed her.

Tamara’s hands were tangled in Sanji’s hair as they undulated against one another, their tongues dueling fiercely. She had never felt such heat, such intensity from him before. The way Sanji was kissing her had turned her legs into jelly and there was a slow pulsing sensation spreading through her.  _Desire..._ she thought numbly, though both teens were gasping as they dry humped one another.  _By the stars above, I desire him...More than that, I love him…_  Tamara felt Sanji pull her up and he lifted her with ease against his chest.

She didn’t know how he managed to get them both into the bed, but Sanji had and Tamara writhed against him as he zeroed out any space between them. They were moving together perfectly, years of training together had them synchronized to a tee. Her hands pulled at his shirt, needing to rid Sanji of it, needing to feel his skin against hers. There was no shyness or hesitation, no bashfulness on Tamara’s part as Sanji returned the favor and his head dipped down to suckle the skin over her collarbone. They were wildly ridding one another of their clothing, both of them consumed by the frenzied need to become one.

“ I love you…” Sanji whispered against her lips, his voice rich, deep, and sultry. He would have never dreamed Tamara would be against him like this, would have never thought this was even a remote possibility between them. She was a princess, and deserved a prince…

“ I love you too, Sanji…” Tamara replied softly. She gasped against his lips as he kissed her passionately, and she felt his rigid length settle against her entrance. With a shudder, Tamara tightened her legs and she drew Sanji in closer to her. It would only be a moment of pain, and then Sanji would be able to show her just how he felt for her.

Sanji eased her legs away from his hips, and he lined himself up so that he wouldn’t hurt her too much. Dear god, she was so hot, so wet it was maddening! “ I’m sorry...I know this’ll hurt…” he said regretfully. He never wanted to hurt her if it were possible. His heart was still thudding wildly against his chest at the thought that Tamara had reciprocated his love for her. How had he never noticed before?

“ I’ll be fine, Sanji. Please, show me, teach me…” Tamara whispered against his lips. “ Just...Just be gentle.”

“ I can do that. I wanted you to know this is a first for me as it is for you...” Sanji replied as he kissed her slowly and leisurely. With a quick snap of his hips, Sanji was buried inside the hottest, tightest sleeve that could ever be known to man. His jaw went slack even as Tamara cried out as he tore through her innocence, though he hurriedly began kissing her again. He needed to wait for her signal now; Zeff and the other men of Baratie had had that particular talk with Sanji last winter much to his chagrin, and Sanji panted between kisses. “ Tamara…” he moaned.

“ I thought I said gently…” she groaned. She felt as if she were being stretched over a thick, meaty pole.

“ Remind me to kill the others then for suggesting that then.”

Tamara couldn’t help but laugh. So Sanji had gotten the talk from the cooks huh? “ Enough talk…” She pulled on Sanji’s neck to bring him down for a kiss that left his senses addled. “ We have other things to be doing.”

Sanji smirked. “ I can oblige that.” he purred and his lips captured Tamara’s again. His hips rocked against hers, and Tamara cried out into his mouth at the feeling. “ I don’t think either of us are getting any sleep tonight.”

Tamara smiled almost predatorily. “ I’m counting on that.” she growled in return, only to have her jaw go slack as Sanji pulled away only to fill her again.

“ Glad to see that we’re on the same page then.” Sanji replied sexily as he put all of his focus on what really mattered.

Tamara.

 

* * *

 

 

  
Tamara laughed brightly as they docked the boat back at Baratie and Sanji lifted her over the bow and onto the restaurant's deck. The two shared a quick kiss under the stars and Tamara hummed happily at the contact. It was well after dark and Baratie was closed for the night. They were both sure no one was watching. She and Sanji walked hand in hand towards the entrance and Zeff walked out to greet them.

" Did you two have a good time?" He asked with a hint of a smile on his face at what he had just seen. It looked as if Sanji had finally acted on his attraction to the young princess. The thought of the two of them finding happiness together in this dark time of Tamara's life brought some solace to the old chef.

" The festival was wonderful." Tamara said with a broad grin. There had been fireworks at the end of it, both in the sky and between them. Sanji had made love to her under the stars and the fireworks that night. It was a memory that she wouldn't soon forget.

Sanji stayed silent as the three of them entered the main room of the restaurant and both teens looked around puzzled. Why was it so dark?

Without warning, the lights flooded on and all the staff jumped up from their hiding spots.

" HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMARA!"

Tamara was stunned, but she laughed nonetheless. It looked as if they had pulled on over on Sanji too, by not telling him they were planning this. Soon, music, food, and laughter filled the restaurant as the party began in earnest. Sanji had disappeared for a brief moment, but Tamara had been dancing a rather jolly jig with Patty and Carne when he returned.

The cake was cut and presents abounded, most of them either books, sewing materials, or dresses for the young woman to wear. Sanji swallowed hard and Zeff gave him a nod. How had the old coot figured him out?!

" Tamara. I think you have one last gift to open." Sanji said nervously. " Tell you what, I need a smoke, mind if we step outside?"

Tamara smiled and nodded. " We'll be right back guys!" She called out over the din.

Catcalls and whistles followed them as Sanji led Tamara towards their favorite spot on the boat. Lighting up his cigarette, Sanji braced himself. His heart was hammering in his chest so loudly that he was sure Tamara could hear it.

" So what's this present you don't want to give me in front of everyone else?" Tamara teased. Both of them knew that the rest of the staff were watching them from the windows inside.

Taking a final drag off his cigarette, Sanji pulled Tamara close and gave her a searing hot kiss. He opened the ring box in his pocket and slipped the pretty band out of it's velvet lining. His right hand found her left and he began slipping the pretty band onto her finger. Tamara's gasp against his mouth told him she knew what it was. " It's not so much a gift for you, as the gift of having you for a bride would be for me." He whispered against her lips. " I can't even pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with you Tamara, but I know for a fact that I don't want to live the rest of my life without you in it. This place isn't a palace, I can't give you the life of luxury befitting a princess, but I can promise that I'll love you with everything thing I am until my dying breath. We don't have to do this right away, I just need to know that you'll always be mine. You are the other half of my heart Tamara. Will you marry me?"

Tamara had tears trickling down her cheeks as she looked down at the pretty white gold band set with an emerald, a peridot, and a diamond. It looked like a blossoming flower. A smile spread across her face and her arms flew around Sanji's neck. " Yes!" She cried out happily.

Shouts of joy and tribulation boomed from inside the restaurant as the two teens kissed once more, both brimming with happiness.

Unfortunately, it was a happiness that was short lived.

 

* * *

 

Tamara was clearing dishes from the tables when the door burst open and one of the female patrons gave a scream. Fearing another pirate attack, Tamara looked up, but didn't see anyone blocking the door. Instead, there was a wounded man on all fours.

He was wearing Denebran armor.

Tamara’s eyes widened as she ran over to the injured soldier and she turned him over. " Martin!" She gasped in terror. What the blue hell was he doing here?! " SANJI! GET THE OWNER!"

Sanji was just coming down the stairs to see what the commotion was about when he heard Tamara's order. His eyes widened at the sight of the bloodied, wounded man in his fiance's arms. That was the captain of the Denebran royal guard! " Chef Zeff! Come here, hurry!" He called up the stairs. Sanji ran over to where Tamara was as the patrons muttered amongst themselves. " Help me get him to the living quarters."

" There's no time!" Martin wheezed. He grasped Tamara's shoulder tightly. " Magnus...He killed the king and queen, your cousins...The royal line has been obliterated except for you...Your highness...I..." A coughing fit racked his injured body and Martin felt himself get eased up to his feet. " I had to warn you...He's sending a fleet here to kill you, princess."

Tamaras eyes widened even as they filled with tears. Her parents, Aden, her family. All dead. Except for Magnus. They got Martin to one of the spare bedrooms and Sanji eased him onto the bed.

" Take it easy, Martin. We'll get you patched up in no time." Sanji said consolingly.

Martin looked to Sanji with a sad smile on his face. The boy had visited for a couple of months over the years. " Their majesties adored you." He said as if delirious. " You've brought the princess so much happiness...They always knew the two of you would be together one day." He fell still against the bed, unconscious.

Tamara choked back a sob. She had never known that her parents had approved of Sanji from the start. The two looked to one another and Tamara rushed from the room. Sanji didn't know how to console her.

Tamara burst into their room in sobs and she threw herself on the bed. Why? Why did it have to come to this? Why now? Then it hit Tamara why Magnus had made his move.

She had come of age.

Her mind moving a thousand leagues a minute, Tamara sat up and she began penning a letter. She wasn't going to let that bastard have the satisfaction of killing everyone on Baratie.

The first letter penned, Tamara sealed it and began writing another one. This one left her in tears by the end of it, but it needed to be done.

 

* * *

 

 

Sanji entered their room a couple hours later. Tamara looked as if she had cried herself to sleep. Martin was going to live, thank god, but there was more sad news for Tamara. Touza had been killed in the line of duty. The two guards had been the ones to teach Tamara everything she knew about swordplay. Everything else she had learned from Zeff and Sanji.

He laid down beside her, though the movement woke her. " I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered against her neck.

" It's fine. Is Martin okay?" She asked.

" He will be." Sanji replied. Tamara turned in his arms and her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. " I could kill that asshole for causing you so much pain."

" You won't have to Sanji. He'll get what's coming to him." Tamara hissed darkly in response. She had tensed up beyond belief in his grasp.  _You won't have to because I'm going to gut him first._  she thought.

Sanji's hold on Tamara tightened and his lips found hers. He knew exactly what she had meant by those words, and Sanji wanted to keep her from sinking into darkness like that. Revenge would never solve anything, would never heal the hurt that had been dealt. It wasn't going to bring her family back. She was the last of the ruling line, aside from her uncle. Tamara needed to live. She had a reason! That reason was sitting on her finger and Sanji's chest tightened. He knew she was leaving as soon as she could, but he didn't tell her that. He was going to do his damnedest to convince her to stay.

No words were spoken as Sanji made love to her, though Tamara was clinging to him tightly in tears as he brought her to the crest of the wave they had been riding together for a while. Sanji groaned as he found himself on bottom with Tamara bouncing softly in his lap. Her chocolate curls were tickling his thighs as her head flew back in her abandon, and her hips rolled sinfully to make him touch every part of her that he could. She fell over him, their mouths finding each other and their tongues entwined like their bodies. He sat up as Tamara pulled away, never once losing contact with her. Sanji was determined to show her how much she meant to him, even if their bodies were doing all the talking. His hips met hers in the middle, forcing eager cries of pleasure from his fiance, and Sanji groaned as he felt his release building. Tamara was drawing closer again as well and soon she was crying out his name and her rapture as they toppled over the precipice together.

They crashed against the bed, a tangle of limbs, and Sanji wrapped his arms tight around Tamara. He was terrified to let her go. " I love you." he whispered into the growing darkness. Sanji felt her breathing even out as she softly affirmed her own love for him and he found he couldn't stave off sleep much longer himself.


	2. ...Has an End

Sanji shivered a little in bed, and he bolted upright, wide awake and fearful. It was the dead of night, and he was short a bedfellow. Sure enough, there was a sealed letter on the other pillow with her engagement ring on top of it. With shaking hands, Sanji cracked the wax seal on the letter.

  
_My darling Sanji,_

_I'm so sorry, but I can't stay here. As much as I don't want to take the throne, I am still Denebra’s princess and there are still customs I must adhere to. As the direct heir to the throne, I have to face Magnus for my birthright or surrender it to him outright. I was already planning on the latter of the two once you proposed to be. I was going to give up my claim to the throne. That was until he slaughtered the rest of our family. His own child, Sanji. You know how close Aden and I had grown._

_He doesn't know anything of what you and Zeff have taught me over the years in my summer visits to Baratie. I've been combining those techniques with the royal swordplay that Martin has taught me. Don't believe me? Ask him about it. I don't know how much of a shot I stand, but if I die, I die knowing I did try. Magnus will pay for the atrocity he has committed and justice will be met by my hand. Even if I can't kill him, I will make him suffer like he has never known._

_If news does reach that I did lose to him, don't go in search of him, Sanji. None of you. I mean it. If I die, I have the peace knowing that I was loved by you. It kills me that I did this to us, just after we were going to start planning the rest of our lives together. I love you enough to do this though. If what Martin said is true, that Magnus is sending an entire fleet here to kill me, I will not give him the satisfaction of your death. Of the deaths of everyone aboard Baratie. I've already sent a letter to him by gull telling him to call the fleet off, that I'm coming to him. I know for a fact with the way I worded the letter that he will stop them._

_I'm blessed to have had such a wonderful friend, such an amazing person like you in my life Sanji. I've loved you since the first time you smiled at me. I knew even then that you were the one. And you are. You are the only man who has ever kissed me, loved me as deeply as a man can a woman, the only man who made me second guess everything I'm doing now. Thank you for loving me, Sanji. You have such a big heart, and I want you to find the happiness, however brief it was, that we had once more. Don't wait, if it comes, embrace it like we did. However sudden our relationship was, we had years of friendship behind it. I don't regret a single minute. I sure as hell don't regret taking you on as a lover. You're that damn good, Sanji…_

 

Sanji couldn't help but laugh tearfully at that sentence. Leave it to Tamara  to be blunt with him.

 

_Don't let my death hold you back. Whoever she is, she'll be lucky as hell to have you._

_I'll always be with you, from everlasting to everlasting, my heart. I love you._

_With every fiber of my being,_

_Your Mara_

 

Sanji let the letter flutter to the floor as he held his face in both hands. " Don't let her die..." he whimpered into the darkness. " Please god, don't let her die. Let her come back to me." His tears continued to fall to the floor and soft sobs wracked his body. His heart was torn asunder.

Sanji knew Tamara wasn't coming back.

 

* * *

  
  
Zeff groaned as he heard a pounding on his door. " Keep your shirt on!" he snarled. Getting out of bed, he stalked to his door and threw it open. One of the prep cooks was there. " What the hell do you want?"

" Chef! The Golden Swan! It's no longer docked alongside Baratie! Tamara's gone as well!" he cried breathlessly. Almost all the staff was in a tizzy with worry for her.

Zeff's eyes widened in shock and he made a mad dash to Sanji's room. Sure enough, the bed was empty and devoid of both occupants. He saw the letter still on the floor and the engagement ring that Sanji had given Tamara was sitting on the nightstand. " No...That stupid girl!" he bellowed.

Making his way to the kitchens, Zeff found them devoid of Sanji as well. The boy's boat was still moored to the restaurant, so Sanji had to be here somewhere. Making his way outside, Zeff found Sanji leaning against the balcony barrister while smoking a cigarette.

" She doesn't want us to follow. She...She offered her life up for all of ours." Sanji's voice was strained and Zeff realized that the boy...No, young man had been crying for a good chunk of the night. Sanji's hand shook as he took another drag off his smoke and he felt Zeff's hand settle on his shoulder sympathetically.

" There is no way we could have stopped her, is there?" he asked the young man quietly.

" No. You know how she is when her mind is made up." Sanji replied. " I tried to change her mind last night Zeff, but in the end, I knew deep down she was still leaving. Why did it have to come to this?"

" Things, for good or ill, happen for a reason Sanji. Those we meet, even briefly, touch us and teach us something. We live our lives learning from those lessons, even if they hurt." He drew a deep, ragged breath in an attempt to stave off his own tears. " I knew that girl had fire in her."

" More than you'll ever know." Martin said weakly as he came up beside the other two men. There was a sealed letter in his hands. " His majesty wrote her highness and you a missive...It seems as if I was too late to get it to both of you." He shook his head as he handed it to Sanji. " I'm sorry, Sanji. I know the two of you were best friends."

Sanji shook his head in the negative. " She was more than that, Martin. I was going to marry her." He replied softly.

Martin looked surprised at this news and Zeff cleared his throat as he pulled the wounded man off to the side. " He asked Tamara for her hand on her birthday a week and a half ago. I was hoping it would be enough to keep her here, but it seems as if it was all for not."

" Their majesties were very fond of him." Martin after a long moment. " They saw how much Tamara loved him, and how happy just being near him made her. I know I overheard the queen say once that he would make a fine prince...I'm sure he has you to thank for that."

" More like he knew I would kick his ass if I heard he hadn't behaved himself." Zeff chortled sadly. His gaze was on Sanji now as the young man stared out onto the horizon, watching and hoping for that gleaming golden sail.

Sanji opened the letter that Tamara's father had written her and he felt more tears come to his eyes. The king and queen had been wonderful people, they had always accepted him with open arms. The world was definitely darker without them in it.

Hell, Sanji's entire world had shattered when he found Tamara gone in the dead of night.

 

_Our sweet Tamara,_

_If you get this letter, it's too Late for your Mother and I. I beg yOu, never return to Denebra. DOn't put yourself in hArms way to avenGe our deathS. LIve your life to the Fullest, and if the fateS will it we hope with SaNji. Your motheR and I Knew all along How muCh you lOve him, eveN at youR yoUng agE. That's why we nevEr triEd to Force yOu to cOurt anY of the men that wOuld come vyIng for a chance to do So. We would HavE loved to watch The twO of you maRry, to wAtch you Raise our gRanDchildrEn with HIm. He woUld have maDe aN excellenT pRince fOr yoU, For what He lacKS in NoblE bloOd he makeS up fOr with what Is in hiS heart._

_Sanji, if you Are rEading this wiTh her, The onLy thing we ask Is that you coNtinue to make heR as happy aS you haVe. If thE two of You hAve not come togetHer by this point BecausE yOu were hesitaNt about what we would say, aBolish those tHoughts. You havE aLways had ouR bLessing, you nEeDn't have thought otheRwise. TO us, you were the onlY ChoICe for our dAughter, No matter Where you came from before._

_We love both of you, Tamara anD Sanji, and We Always will. LIve, children, and love. For wiThout love, lIfe has no meaniNG._

 

_Your mother and father,_

_Marion and Percival_

 

Sanji folded the letter. He doubted it would have stopped Tamara, and he buried his head in his arms. More tears came unbidden and his shoulders shook from the force of his sobs.

 

* * *

 

 

A month passed. Sanji tried his best to busy himself in his work, but every time he was outside he looked towards the northern horizon. He kept praying Tamara would return to him, to all of them aboard Baratie. Even old Zeff was somber, though he tried his best not to let it show.

Sanji was out on the deck after the restaurant closed and he heard Zeff coming toward him. The slow gait in which the old man was walking with told Sanji that the news was weighing heavily on the owner of Baratie as well.

Silently, Zeff stood beside the young man and handed him a mug of ale.

Definitely not good.

Sanji took a deep drink. " What's the news?" He stated simply.

" A merchant ship found the wreckage of the Golden Swan last week. According to what I heard, the ship was blasted apart by cannon fire, though the two ships found with it were in the same state. I'm sorry Sanji. They didn't find any survivors." Zeff's voice was soft and wavering and one look at the old man revealed that he had tears in his eyes.

Sanji's head hung low and he clenched the mug in his hand tightly. His heart felt as if it had just shattered.

Tamara was gone.

 

* * *

  
  
Two years seemed to fly by. Though it had taken some time, Sanji grew quite flirtatious with the female patrons of Baratie. He still thought of Tamara often, as any man would a love they had lost as tragically as Sanji had Tamara, and the thought of her didn't sting like it used to. Soon he found himself joining a pirate crew and he looked down at the belongings he was taking with him. Two yellowed letters and Tamara's engagement ring, along with the wedding bands, were tucked away safely with the rest of his possessions. Taking one last look at his bed, the bed that he had made love to Tamara in that night, Sanji felt a tear trickle down his cheek. Not only was he saying goodbye to the life he had led here, but to her. Tamara's memory clung to this room like a spector. So many memories in this room. The two of them staying up late to talk about what they had learned in the kitchens after a long day of dish duty or peeling potatoes, reading books together. Sanji telling her about what he thought the All Blue was like as Tamara sewed something new or patching something of his that had been either burnt or cut. The two of them playing old maid or some sort of card game on rainy days.

Yes, Tamara’s memory was embedded in every facet of this room, Sanji thought.

She would never be exorcised from this room, or his heart…

 

* * *

  
  
Two and a half years later:

Sanji was laughing long and loud as everyone clanked their mugs together in a toast. Zoro had finally grown a set and had asked Nami to marry him. The two had been together since the crew's reunion six months ago and Sanji, while jealous, couldn't help but feel happy for them. He knew that kind of happiness first hand after all.  _Though it was short lived._ he thought. His chest ached for a brief moment as he thought of Tamara. He missed her laugh, her smile. She'd be twenty if she were still alive.  _The same age as Nami...Getting ready to turn twenty one too..._

They would have been married by now, and might have been expecting their first child, maybe even their second...

" You okay, Sanji?" Nami asked him tentatively. They had all been worried how he would accept the news.

" I'm fine, Nami." he replied with a small smile. " I'm happy for you guys, I really am, as I know the happiness you guys have. I was just thinking is all."

" What? On who you're going to harass now with your proclamations of love and undying devotion?" Zoro teased as he pulled Nami back against him. Everyone, including Sanji, laughed at that one.

" No. I was thinking my my fiance..." he began. " She died a little less than five years ago, so no, I haven't been chasing skirts behind her back."

Everyone at the table went quiet.

" Wait a minute? You, the consummate playboy, were not only in a steady relationship with a single woman, but you were going to marry her?" Zoro was stunned at this revelation to say the least.

Sanji nodded. " Both of us were young, I was only seventeen at the time, but I had been in love with her for years. We were childhood friends, and over time, that grew. We had only been engaged for a week before she died." He took a deep drink from his mug and he sighed a little. He hadn't spoken this openly about Tamara since Zeff had given him the news about the wreckage of the Golden Swan.

" Who was she?" Robin asked him. All eyes were on him in extreme curiosity now. Well, they were about to get a hell of a shock.

" Her name was Tamara Leonias." Sanji heard a collective gasp from around the table. It figured that most of them would know the fallen line of Denebra.

" She was a princess though!" Zoro exclaimed. " I heard rumors of what she did after her parents were murdered by pirates. There were rumors that either she or her uncle had been planning an uprising, though the people sided with her uncle by the time everything was said and done. From what I heard, those two got into it pretty fierce. She took his left hand and one of his eyes, but in the end, she was fatally wounded and her ship was attacked at sea as the remaining members of the resistance tried to get her to safety."

“ It wasn’t pirates who murdered her parents.” Sanji corrected. “ Magnus slaughtered the rest of their family to that he would be the only viable heir to the throne. I received the news of the Golden Swan's wreckage among two other ships. I hadn't heard what she did to her uncle though. She made me swear not to go after him in retaliation for her death, as she had given her life in exchange for those of us on Baratie at the time. Tamara said she wouldn't give Magnus the pleasure of our deaths." He lit a cigarette and he took a deep steadying drag. It made him proud that even at her young age, Tamara had still fought as valiantly as she had. He wished he could have seen that fight. “ I just wish that her body had been found."

Everyone went silent, now seeing their shipmate in an entirely new light.

" So that's why you called yourself Mr. Prince..." Luffy said out of nowhere.

Sanji laughed long and loud. " And you guys thought I was joking about that."  Back in Alabasta, he had donned the codename Mr. Prince over transponder snail to keep the Pirate Warlord Crocodile from gleaning his true identity. If he had married Tamara, he would have been a prince after all.

" She wanted you to find love again, didn't she?" Robin said, a tender smile on her face. It was heartbreaking to know about this after the fact, but Sanji had become a stronger man for it. He knew the value of love, and that put his flirtatious attempts with any lady he came across into perspective. He was trying to honor his lost love's dying wish for him.

Sanji blew his plume of smoke and nodded. " Yeah. To be honest, I've never really spoken about her after her death. Everyone else on Baratie was afraid to bring her up once we heard the news she was gone. They all loved her, as they had watched the two of us grow up together, and you guys should have heard the reaction when Tamara accepted my proposal..." Sanji laughed a little. " I thought they were going to blow the roof off the restaurant."

" How did the two of you meet anyways?" Franky asked him.

Sanji smiled and he hunkered down. That's what he got for revealing a little bit about his past after all. It was his turn to tell a little more about his story now.

And that's exactly what he did.

" You know...Looking back on everything, I would have never thought that all your flirting was an attempt to honor Tamara's wishes. I thought you were just a massive pervert." Nami told him quietly as everyone began talking amongst themselves once more.

Sanji laughed again. " Don't get me wrong, I am a pervert." he teased. " It took me over a year to start feeling like myself again. Time doesn't heal the wound, but it makes it easier to bear. I cherish love, having known it and lost it. I don't know if I'll ever find it though. Yes, it's been almost five years, but the thought of actually loving someone as deeply as I loved Tamara scares me. To be completely honest, I'm overly flirtatious to drive women away, not to attempt to charm them Nami. I don't want to risk my heart like that ever again. As much as I want to honor Tamara’s memory, I can't bring myself to do the one, most selfless request that she asked of me."

Nami gave Sanji a hug, one that spoke volumes of support and understanding and there were tears in her eyes as she pulled away from him. " From personal experience, you do it just a little too well." she teased and Sanji laughed. " You shouldn't be afraid though, not every woman out there will have the circumstances that surrounded Tamara. Did you bury her at sea?"

" A body was never recovered. Every year on her birthday though, I'll get some chrysanthemums and float them out one by one on the water." Sanji replied. " That's my way of visiting her grave, as the sea is her grave." He would whisper things to each flower, detailing everything that was going on in his life before casting Tamara's favorite flower into the waves.

Nami nodded. Come to think of it, she had watched him do that shortly after he had been brought onto the crew. " Her birthday is coming up again soon, isn't it?" she asked.

Sanji nodded. " The twenty fifth of August. I don't know the exact date she died, but I wanted to use a date I knew I would never forget. It was the day we got engaged as well. We should be reaching port just before then if we keep to course.”

Nami nodded. “ We should be there in three days and according to reports we’ll be in town for two weeks for the log pose to adjust.” she replied. “ If I’m lucky, we can get a tailor to patch up our sails.” She looked over as Robin sewed a new patch onto Chopper’s shirt. “ Maybe not just the sails.”

Sanji nodded. At least he would be able to sit on the docks and keep his yearly tradition alive. He had quite a bit more to talk about since the crew had come back together.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji was over looking the pantry. Once someone else returned from the city, he would be making his own rounds to get the groceries. Looking at his jacket as it hung up in the corner near the door, Sanji grimaced at the tear that ran along the back from a sword slash that barely missed wounding him. He definitely needed to find a tailor as well. He was in need of some new clothing period.  _If Tamara were with us, she’d have something done in a jiffy. Every summer she made us all new smocks to wear in the kitchen. I’ve still got the last one too, though it doesn’t fit any more. So light, but very durable and stain resistant. Zeff adored those smocks._  he thought with a chuckle. Sanji had been thinking more about Tamara since the other night. Honestly, he had felt at ease ever since he had shared his and Tamara's story with everyone. Something had healed inside him, and he sighed happily. Talking about her, about all the good she had brought to his life, had been very, very cathartic. Thinking of her again was getting to be easier as well.

Maybe Nami was right. Maybe Sanji did need to let go of that fear that he had held onto for so long. Maybe he would meet a pretty girl in town and he could have a fling for the two weeks they were in port.

 

* * *

  
  
Nami was smiling ear to ear. “ This is it!” she squealed. This was the most famous clothing shop in the entirety of the Grand Line.

Boutique Harrod.

Nami looked down at her newspaper and her gaze fell on a picture of the shop owner, Grigori Harrod with his only seamstress, Genevieve Cygne. The young woman in the picture was attempting to keep her face out of the camera while Harrod was smiling cheesily like the camera ham he apparently was. Nami had always wanted one of Cygne’s signature evening gowns and had always heard how exquisite they were. She was hoping to get the young woman to agree to make her wedding dress.

For once, money was of no object. Nami would pay any price for that gown. She entered the boutique and she sighed as the smell of flowers gently wafted through the room. There was a single vase near where a draping form was in the corner, and Nami stepped over to it. Now, talk about a coincidence.

Hadn’t Sanji just mentioned chrysanthemums were his fiance’s favorite flower?

Nami smiled as she bent over to smell the pale pink mums and she heard a slight gasp behind her.

“ Oh my goodness! I’m sorry. I didn’t even hear the door open. Welcome to Boutique Harrod. My name is Genevieve. How can I help you today?” the young woman from the picture said sweetly. She set a few bolts of cloth down on the cutting table beside the dressform and Genevieve walked over to Nami. Nami had to hold back her own gasp. She could see why Genevieve was keen on keeping her face away from the camera. The poor dear had a scar running from her hairline down to her chin. She was lucky to not have been blinded in her left eye! Even with the scar though, Nami had to admit the other woman was lovely. She had short brown curls that bounced with every movement she made, wide ocean blue eyes, a slightly round face set with an aquiline nose and pale pink lips that seemed to be curled up in a permanent smile.

Sanji would be on his knees before Genevieve in an instant.

Finally finding her voice, Nami smiled in return and she shook Genevieve’s extended hand. “ I was hoping to find out if you can inspect our sails. I’m worried that they’ve been patched one too many times and that they’re getting a little threadbare. There was also another matter I was hoping to ask about, but it can wait for now.” Nami sighed a bit. She wasn’t sure how to broach the topic of needing a wedding dress.

Genevieve shook her head. “ No it can’t. I can see it in your eyes. Go ahead and talk to me about it. I need to hurry and at least get this dress going before I can take a look at your sails.”

And so Nami began talking about her impending nuptials and little details that seemed completely irrelevant. By the time Nami had finished speaking about how they only had a two week time frame, there was a gleam in Genevieve’s eye.

“ So, the legendary pirate hunter huh? I bet he’s wild behind closed doors, isn’t he?” Genevieve said with another broad smile. She laughed at the guilty blush on Nami’s face and she kept looking at the door. “ Don’t worry hun, I don’t turn my customers over to the navy. Pirates need clothing too, and sometimes a fair edge in outrunning those pompous gits.” She gave Nami a thumbs up and the navigator chuckled brightly, now relaxing again in Genevieve’s presence. This gal certainly had some spunk. “ As for your dress, I have the perfect idea in mind! I have yet to make a wedding gown, and this will definitely be deserving of being the first. You’re lucky you came to me and no one else. I’m the fastest seamstress on the Grand Line.”

Nami went to roll her eyes until she looked at the dressform. What had initially been just a bare form and a few bolts of fabric was now a two thirds completed ball gown. When in hell had she gotten the slip and twill underneath without Nami noticing? She saw both sleeves and the perfectly coiffed fabric that would rest just slightly above the breast line resting by the sewing machine that the form was in front of. Whoever was getting this gown was going to be the envy of the party indeed.

“ I still have the other pieces to attach as you can see, as well as stitching in the flowers this particular customer wanted, and the beading and embroidery I still have to do by hand. I’d say it’ll be done in roughly seven hours.” Genevieve said proudly.

“ That I would actually pay to watch to see if you can pull it off.” Nami replied with a wry smirk. For all she knew, it was just boasting to help her sell her wares.

Genevieve smirked. “ I’ll make you a bet. After I inspect the sails, both of us come back here and you can watch me finish the gown. If I can’t get it done in seven hours, I’ll make your wedding dress for free. Deal?”

“ And if you win?” Nami asked.

Genevieve winked as she grabbed a box with a handle, more than likely tools of her trade. “ I still get your business in the end because you’ll want that dress no matter what.” she replied with a short laugh.

Nami smirked as well. “ You’re on lady.” she replied.

 

* * *

 

  
Sanji heard footsteps on deck and he exited the galley to see who was back. His brow arched when he saw Nami with another young woman. “ Don’t tell me you’ve been recruiting.” he called down to her playfully.

“ Nope, just got taken prisoner is all.” the young woman shot back with a bright smile. “ I’ll go ahead and head up the rigging to get started. Where can I find you once I’m done, Nami?”

“ I’ll be on deck Genevieve. No worries.” the redhead replied. “ Did you want to head into town for the groceries Sanji?”

Neither saw Genevieve slip on the ropes at the mention of the chef’s name.

Sanji seemed to be knocked from his reverie as he looked back to Nami. Genevieve? Why did that name sound familiar? No matter. He could figure it out as he was looking through the food stands. She was certainly spunky though, he thought with a grin. “ Yeah. Have you found out what island is next?”

“ Yes, it’s about a two month trip to this one, so make sure we have enough to contend with the boys and their appetites.” Nami looked up the main mast at Genevieve, who was sliding slowly down a rope as she inspected the length of the sail. She must have done this quite a few times. “ Would you like to join us for dinner tonight? I promise Sanji’s an excellent cook!” she called up to the seamstress.

Genevieve almost slipped again as she lost focus. “ Uh...No thanks! I still have that ball gown to finish tonight, remember?”

Sanji’s brow quirked and he chuckled. “ And you’re going to work on it without eating anything? That's not healthy you realize.” he called up to her.

" You'd cringe if you knew how many meals I've skipped because of work." Genevieve retorted. " I'll be fine."

“ We made a bet that she had to finish it in seven hours flat. No breaks.” Nami explained. “ If I win, I get my wedding dress free.”

Genevieve suddenly dropped down to the deck, landing right beside Sanji from where she had let go of the rope. She looked mildly uncomfortable, and she kept her head turned away from him. “ However, that does not include hemming or any minor alterations that I’ll have to make when my client arrives for pick up.”

Nami nodded. “ Of course. I’m going to like getting my gown for free.” she said with an evil grin.

Sanji shook his head and he slowly inched to the left so that he could look closer at Genevieve. His eyes went wide at the sight of her. With the exception of her hair and the scar on her face, she looked a lot like what Tamara would if she had survived and hit this age.

Damn, now he had to apologize to Zoro for constantly ribbing on him about Tashigi. Now Sanji knew what it felt like to be looking at a loved one’s doppelganger.

“ Don’t count on it, Nami.” Genevieve replied cockily. Her demeanor changed instantly as she looked up at the sails with a soft sigh. With a shake of her head as if to clear her thoughts, Genevieve moved towards the stairs leading to the main deck. “ Concerning your sails however. You’re right that they are definitely threadbare. They won’t last if you guys hit a hurricane on the way to your next destination, and you’ll be sitting ducks for the navy. Downside is is that I can’t sew the sails and your gown in a two week time frame. You guys will be here at least a month and a half. I have to have Mr. Harrod custom order the fabric for the sails, and that’ll take three weeks to get here unless you want to pay to have it expedited over. Even then, that only shaves a week and a half off.”

Nami’s brow furrowed. Well, that just put a damper on things. “ I guess we don’t have a choice. I’ll let the others know when I get back to the ship tonight.” Nami replied. “ Are there any villas for rent right now, seeing as we’ll be stuck here for a bit?”

“ I’m not too sure to be honest, but Mr. Harrod purchased me a rather large home last year as my bonus for bringing in as much business as I have. If anything, you all are welcome to stay with me. If you’ve got a map, I can point out the best location to hide your boat too. The navy never goes anywhere near it because the cove can be a mite treacherous to reach during low tide, but there is also a cave there that's big enough to hide this bad boy.” Genevieve smoothed her hand over the main mast and she smiled a little fondly. It had been a very long time since she had been on a boat this big.

“ Why go through so much trouble to help a bunch of pirates?” Sanji finally asked her. She wasn’t anything like Tamara. Tamara didn’t speak like that. Even during her summer stays on Baratie, her patterns of speech had been very proper. This woman’s voice was nothing like that at all.

Besides, Tamara was dead and gone. Sanji had needed to mentally remind himself of that fact.

Genevieve gave Sanji a smile as she ruffled his hair. “ Like I told Nami, pirates need clothing too. Sometimes they need new sails so that they can outrun those pompous navy dandees." Sanji immediately set to preening his hair even as he shot Genevieve a glare. Now she seriously reminded him of Tamara. " I have no love for the navy, despite the fact that they rescued me about five years ago. The ship I was on capsized in a storm and I was sent adrift clinging to a barrel. I was lucky to be found alive. They only gave me gruel to eat, and they threw me into the brig even though I was just a kid. They claimed there was no where else to put me.” Genevieve’s brow furrowed at the thought. “ So yeah, no love for the navy and it’s marines.”

Sanji shrugged. Good enough for him. “ It’s not often we find people who would rather deal with pirates than the navy is all.”

“ I can tell just by looking at you, Mr. Suit and Tie in the middle of summer, that this pirate crew is probably unlike any crew out there sailing the five blues.” Genevieve tapped her finger against her chin as she looked at the state of his pants as opposed to his sleeves. “ Do you not use your hands or something?”

Sanji was thrown for a loop. Five blues?! She believed in the All Blue as well?! Wait a second...How the hell had she been able to tell that he fought with his feet? “ A cook’s most important tool is their hands. Gotta make sure I keep my tools in working order you see. How did you figure that out?”

“ The fabric...Lift your leg up a minute…” Surprisingly, Sanji  did as she asked without any smart remarks. Genevieve muttered a little under her breath and she scowled as she inspected everything over. “ You shouldn’t be abusing such a fine material as this if you fight with only your feet. The fabric is worn, and over patched with quick slip stitches to close all the tiny holes you’ve made. You don’t have half as many in your sleeves or cuffs. Looks like I’m going to have my hands full with you guys. First the sails, then Nami’s wedding dress. Now I’m determined to find something you’ll like that’s durable as well.”

Sanji had to admit, he was impressed she could tell all that just from glancing at his clothing for a few moments. “ I don’t know if that’s a challenge you can win, Ms. Genevieve. I’m not exactly known for holding back on my attacks.” Sanji said as he lit up a cigarette. The scowl he got from the young brunette reminded him so much of Tamara that he couldn’t help but laugh. She scowled at him like that every time he lit up a smoke. Wow. This gal was going to have all of them chasing their tails he was sure. A month and a half under her roof? That didn’t feel like a prison sentence as much as he had thought at first. “ I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I got that exact same look from someone else a long time ago.” he chortled.

“ You’re not smoking in my house. I don’t mind the patio, but not inside.” Genevieve ordered.

“ I can manage.” Sanji agreed. When had it been decided on? Then again, Luffy would say yes in a heartbeat and Nami would prode for it because it would save money. “ Ms. Genevieve, if you like, you can show me where it is we’re going and I can lead the rest of the crew there seeing as how you and Nami will be indisposed for the next several hours. I’d rather you eat first though. It’s harder to work on an empty stomach.”

Genevieve rolled her eyes. He still hadn’t dropped the issue about food. Her stomach gave a long, high pitched growl indicating it’s need for nourishment at that exact moment. A fierce and embarrassed flush met her cheeks and Genevieve groaned in embarrassment.“ Fine.” she acquiesced. " I guess I'm having dinner with you guys."

Sanji chuckled with a broad grin. “ Good.”

Genevieve looked at her watch. “ I need to go help Mr. Harrod close the shop, but I’ll be back before long. Pull your sails up for now and hide your jolly roger. At least the navy won’t know at the first glance that this is a pirate ship.” she said matter of factly. “ You’re not the only crew we’ve helped out.” She added with a small smile as both Sanji and Nami looked at her curiously. “ I’ll be back in about an hour.”

Nami was smiling devilishly ear to ear as she watched Genevieve shoot back into the town and her gaze shifted over to Sanji. After knowing him for years, Nami was more than certain he was intrigued with her. It was refreshing to see him just be polite as opposed to overly flirtatious, and he was watching her leave as well. “ She likes chrysanthemums…” Nami said out of the blue.

Sanji jolted at that statement. “ What?” he questioned.

“ I said she likes chrysanthemums. It’s something you two have in common. I can’t shake the feeling you two would get along famously.” Nami said.

“ She’s not an option.” Sanji replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He hated himself for even saying it. Then again, Sanji knew in his heart that she wasn't Tamara. Genevieve wasn't anything like the former princess he had wanted to marry. “ You know how Zoro is stuck on that navy chick Tashigi because she looks like his dead friend?”

“ Yeah.”

“ Genevieve looks just like Tamara would have, sans the scar of course.” Sanji replied. “ I might keep mentally comparing her to a ghost, to Tamara's memory. It’s not fair to either of us if I were to do that. I'll grant it to you though Nami, she's the exact kind of gal I'd gravitate to.” He walked back into the galley to get supper started and he looked out into the crowd one last time. He could see Genevieve in the crowd from here, though it was surprising to see her turned towards the ship. His brow furrowed a little. Was she having second thoughts about her offer to help them? As if she had spotted him, she waved and Sanji smirked. Turning back towards the door, he raised his hand to return the wave.

Sanji needed to get the chrysanthemums tomorrow, he realized. Tomorrow would have been Tamara’s twenty first birthday, as he had turned twenty two back in March. Well, this year, he was determined to start fresh.  _She likes chrysanthemums..._ Nami’s voice echoed in his head.  _She’s playing match maker, only because I told her that I’m scared to open up my heart again. What if Genevieve was the one? Would I be able to separate her from_ Tamara _'s memory though?_ he thought to himself as he began cooking. He needed to make sure there was enough for Genevieve tonight as well. As much as she looked like Tamara, the two were like night and day in their actions. Tamara flowed and ebbed, Genevieve was like a tsunami, as if her very presence commanded attention. Sanji smirked a bit, reconsidering what he had said on deck. Maybe Genevieve was an option after all. She'd be a nice distraction while they were here, and it would get Nami off his back. It was as if the redheaded navigator had taken it upon herself to make sure that he fulfilled Tamara's last wish for him.

Sanji stirred the contents in his pan without batting an eye and he heard a few of the others start filing into the galley. He turned for a moment to start grabbing a few things for a stir fry, and he waved to Franky, Chopper, and Robin. By the sound of things, Nami was catching them up on the status of the sails and how long they were looking to be in town.

" What's with all the extra food tonight Sanji?" Robin asked, curious.

" We'll have one more at the table tonight. Better to be prepared than to not have enough served." Sanji replied with a large grin. " If the growls coming from Genevieve's stomach said anything, she's probably hungry enough to eat a horse. Besides, I can't shake the feeling that she's going to put a couple of you guys to shame tonight."

" So the tailor is going to be joining our table tonight?" Franky asked with a grin. " I'll give her credit. She's braver than most."

" She'd rather deal with pirates than the navy if that says anything." Nami chuckled. " Besides, I got a good feeling about her. She could tell that we're not an average crew to begin with."

" I'll say." Chopper giggled. " How many pirate crews have a talking reindeer, a rubber man, a walking, talking skeleton, and a woman that can multiply her limbs?"

" Let's not forget the world's greatest seafaring chef." Sanji interjected with a laugh. Brook was walking in now as the rest of them laughed brightly at the cook's cheek. " Everything alright Brook?"

Brook sighed a bit. " I'll be fine. I just wish I were fifty years younger is all." he said wistfully. " Ran into the prettiest little lady on the way back through town."

Sanji sighed a little himself, only to find himself thinking of Genevieve at the moment. She was lovely in her own right, the scar on her face made her stand out. It boiled his blood that someone had even dared do such a thing to a lady, but what was done was done. Who knew how old that scar was anyways?

" I smell food!" Luffy said loudly as he came into the galley. Usopp and Zoro were right behind him.

Sanji had to turn away as Nami gave Zoro a welcoming kiss on the lips before the two took their normal seats beside one another. Despite his warm wishes for their impending nuptials, Sanji was being constantly reminded that the woman he loved was gone.

 _And you still haven't moved on. It's been five years Sanji. It's time to let her go...Time to turn your attentions to someone new..._ he thought to himself. Sanji was praying that he actually went through with it. Genevieve's face floated in his mind's eye for a moment. Damn, that was quick. Maybe he was more interested in the seamstress than Sanji had initially thought.

 

* * *

  
  
Laughter filled the galley aboard the Thousand Sunny. Genevieve had returned in the hour timeframe that she had told Nami and Sanji she would and she was having so much more fun than she thought she would. Her laughter was bright and lilting, and both Nami and Robin were monopolizing her in conversation. It wasn’t often the two women had anyone else to talk to about female things.

Sanji was already clearing the dishes away, and he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. As he had thought, Genevieve had a hearty appetite like the rest of the crew, though she had been put to shame by Luffy. She had bested Zoro though in how much she had packed away though, and the swordsman’s reaction still had Sanji chuckling. None of them had been expecting that.

“ Nami, we need to get going if I’m going to get that dress done in a decent amount of time. Mr. Harrod already knows I’m heading back to finish it tonight.” Genevieve said with a smile. “ I dare say things are going to get much more lively under my roof with all of you.”

“ Thank you for allowing us to stay with you while you’re working on the sails.” Robin replied. “ Are you sure you’re going to be able to fit all of us under one roof though?”

Genevieve laughed. “ We’ll see. Bear in mind, Harrod’s is the most famous boutique on the Grand Line, and I work there. Do you honestly think I’m struggling? Sanji, you remember that spot I pointed out on the map, right?” She had shown them the minute she had gotten back onto the Thousand Sunny. With Nami going with her, Sanji had been the best choice to show the location to.

“ Yeah. We’ll get the boat over there before the tide runs and we’ll get it into the cave. I have to make sure we bring any perishables with us, so I hope you have room in your fridge Ms. Genevieve.” He still couldn’t place why the name sounded familiar.

Genevieve nodded. “ I don’t eat at home as often as I should, so trust me when I say there’s plenty of room.” Her gaze grew sad and she sighed. “ No matter. By the time you guys get back to town, I should be finished and I can lead you all to my home from there.”

Sanji and the rest of the crew nodded. “ We’ll see you then.”

 

* * *

  
  
“ He seems pretty aloof.” Genevieve said to herself as she walked beside Nami.

“ You’ve got him pretty intrigued you know.” Nami said sweetly. “ The poor guy is kinda complex though. You look like someone who was very dear to him, and I think it’s throwing him off.”

“ Old girlfriend?” Genevieve snorted with disgust. He was handsome enough to have probably plowed a gal in every single port they had stopped in.

“ Not quite. Sanji was engaged about five years ago, and his fiance died pretty tragically. He hasn’t moved on, though he told us she wanted him to.” Nami’s face fell at the thought. “ It’s a shame. He’d make some other gal a damn fine husband.”

Genevieve’s face was contemplative as they came to the shop door and she opened it with her key. She walked over to what at first glance was a transponder snail, and it began playing music when Genevieve turned it on.

“ A radio snail!” Nami squealed. She hadn’t seen one since she had been back home.

“ I have to have music if I have to pull over time. You might as well get comfortable.” She said with a confident smirk. She had already gotten the rest of what she needed to finish the dress. Putting the sleeves and collar on would be a cinch. Sewing the flowers into place would take another thirty or so minutes as they were already cut. The longest part was the beading and embroidery. She only had the seven hour time frame to work in.

This was going to be a hell of a test of skill on Genevieve’s part. She had never completed one of her gowns in less than twelve hours. This one will have only had eight hours worth of work put into it.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji and the rest of the crew were walking back into town from the northern entrance. “ Did Nami say which way Harrod’s was?” he asked.

“ I think she mentioned something about Mundy Street.” Robin replied. Or maybe her home was on Mundy Street. Robin had been talking to Franky about something when Genevieve had brought it up.

“ No need.” Chopper said as his nose twitched. “ I can smell Nami coming this way.” The eight members of Thousand Sunny all looked in the direction Chopper had faced and they saw two silhouetted figures coming towards them.

“ You guys have everything you need?” Genevieve asked them as they all came to a stop. Everyone gave her the affirmative and Genevieve smiled brightly. “ Alright then. Follow me everyone.”

The Strawhats did as told as Genevieve took the lead. Sanji was watching her from a few steps back as she talked to Robin again. If he was reading their lips right, they were talking about books. Now something about the stars had come up. Sanji's brow quirked a little. Then Robin asked the big question.

" So is your husband going to make a fuss about all of us?" Robin teased.

Genevieve turned a brilliant shade of red in the low light. " I'm not married, Robin. In fact I don't even have a boyfriend or significant other." the embarrassed seamstress replied.

" Oh really?" Robin's head turned towards Sanji and he did his best to look straight ahead. This was the main street of the town and there was only one house at the end of it. Somehow he had a feeling this was the place Genevieve was taking all of them to.

It was. It had looked much smaller from down the street though. The house had everyone looking around in awe as they came to a stop in the foyer.

This wasn’t a house, Sanji surmised as his jaw dropped. She said Mr. Harrod had purchased her this house as her bonus for working for him?! Again it wasn’t a damn house! It was a bonafide mansion! “ Where’s the kitchen?” he asked instantly. He needed to see it, just had to. Sanji was positive he was going to be in heaven.

Genevieve smiled softly and she pointed towards a hall to the left. “ Down that hall, third door on the right. It’s directly across from dining room.”

Sanji took the bag of perishables from Franky and he hurried down the hall. Everyone chuckled at his haste.

“ Did you guys want a tour tonight or tomorrow?” Genevieve asked them all. She jumped when what could only be Sanji’s utter squeal of rapture echoed from the kitchen. “ Is everything okay with him?”

The rest of the crew was laughing brightly. “ Knowing Sanji, and seeing how big your house is, I think he just found his little slice of heaven here in port.” Franky replied. " Maybe while we're here I can start redesigning the interior areas. Make all the rooms everyone's been asking for."  _Maybe one extra to be on the safe side too...I've got a feeling about this chick..._ he thought to himself. She was the exact kind of person Luffy would want on his crew. Franky was positive that she would be asked to join them soon enough.

Genevieve sighed a little ruefully. She hated living here because she was alone. It got too quiet. Being around these pirates made it feel as if living on the Thousand Sunny was an adventure in of itself. “ I do have cleaning staff that comes in every day to manage the upkeep, and there’s a library on the second floor. Just don’t let him smoke inside the house.” Genevieve reiterated as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. Everyone laughed at that and they all agreed. She was being more than generous in welcoming them into her home after all. She walked towards the marble staircase to lead them to the guests rooms. She’d come back down and show Sanji where he was sleeping once she was done. Knowing what she did of the man, he was probably stocking the kitchen to his specifications. She’d have to leave grocery money for him in the morning before she went to work. “ Actually...the room overlooking the garden with the balcony is completely off limits. That’s my work room here at home, and I’ve got another important project I’m working on.”

Nami and Robin nodded. They would be able to keep the boys corralled away from it.

“ Let’s get you all upstairs and in bed then.” Genevieve smiled brightly, and she began walking up the stairs fully now.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji was looking over Genevieve’s kitchen utensils. They weren’t used often, but they were high end and he was impressed with her kitchen. It was set up like a restaurant’s kitchen in all honesty. She hadn’t been joking when she said there would be plenty of room to stock their food in the fridge. It was a walk in refrigerator, and the little bit that she had in there was close to the front.

“ I’m going to love cooking in here for the next month.” he said under his breath.

“ Are you sure you don’t need a change of pants?” Genevieve asked him. She was leaning against the door, and had only been watching him for a few minutes as he looked over her kitchen ware. “ That squeal put images in my head that didn’t need to be there.”

Sanji couldn’t help but laugh loudly at that. “ No, but you’ve got a damn good layout in here though. I haven’t stepped foot in a proper kitchen in years.” Sanji’s hands ran over the smoothed marble countertops and a small tear slipped from his eye. The palace kitchens back in Denebra had been just like this, functional but aesthetically pleasing. He hadn’t missed Tamara this much in years. Maybe it was because Genevieve reminded him of her in looks.

“ You alright?” Genevieve’s voice was soft and full of concern. Her hand settled on his shoulder and she turned him to look at her. “ Nami told me a little of what happened to your fiance. I’m sorry if I remind you of her...I...I’ll just take you up to your room and head to bed myself.” Her voice was trailing in regret and she pulled her hand away. She didn’t like the thought of torturing the man with the sight of her when he was still in love with his fiance’s memory.

No sooner had Genevieve turned around, Sanji paused her movements by taking her hand in his. A pleasing shock ran through them both and Genevieve gasped at the contact. No man, beside Mr. Harrod, was even willing to touch her because of her looks. She looked at their joined hands as if shocked and she met his gaze as he pulled her closer. “ It’ll pass.” Sanji replied as he gave her a small hug. He needed to start over...He had to get over this. Damn it all, he had to get passed the fact that he was interested in Genevieve, no matter how much she looked like Tamara. He hadn’t been genuinely interested in a woman in years. “ Thank you for understanding, Ms. Genevieve. However, I’m was wondering if you could show me where I can smoke first so that I don’t piss you off.”

“ Call me Genny, Sanji.” Genevieve whispered as she pulled him along, a soft, flirtatious smile on her face.

 

* * *

  
  
“ So who won the bet?” Sanji had a cigarette in his hand and he stood still. Genevieve had insisted on getting his measurements before she went took him to his room.

“ I did. I had only seconds to spare though when I put the last bead into place, so it wasn’t as if I had massive amounts of time.” She double checked her measuring tape as she measured the inseam. “ How tall are you again?” His pants looked a little short for his legs, and she shook her head.

“ One hundred seventy three centimeters? Give or take a few centimeters of course.” Sanji replied. Well, the last time he had been measured was back when he had been on Baratie and had gotten fitted for his last suit there.

“ Kick off your shoes, and stand straight against the pillar there.” Genevieve had to grab her step stool in order to get up high enough to make her mark. “ Go ahead and step away Sanji.” she said. “ Now let’s see…”

Sanji heard the crack before Genevieve could even scream. The minute she leaned forward, one of the support legs broke and she went tumbling off the stool. Dashing forward, Sanji caught her before she could get hurt and he eased Genevieve back onto her feet. “ Never thought you’d be the clumsy type, Genny.” he teased mirthfully. Her hands were clinging to his shoulders tightly as she looked at the broken stool in shock and her body was molded tightly against his. She was a little on the small side, Sanji realized. She couldn’t be more than one hundred and fifty six centimeters. He found he liked that.

She wasn’t small. Genevieve was fun sized.

“ I forgot I needed to fix that one…” Genevieve whispered. “ That was the entire reason I put it out here.” She shook her head ruefully and Genevieve looked to Sanji, suddenly realizing their proximity. She blushed brightly even as he gave her an amused smile.

“ You alright?” he asked her, his voice just shy of a flirtatious purr. One of his hands wrapped around hers to keep her close. Sanji liked the way she felt against him and he wasn't to keen on letting her move yet. He leaned forward and Genevieve leaned back a bit as Sanji tried to close their proximity even more. Holy hell, she mused as she was forced to get a good, close look at him. Sanji was a handsome little devil. His hair was parted to the right, covering his eye, but the other that was currently locking their gazes was the loveliest shade of steel blue that she had ever seen on a man. Genevieve had always thought she liked men who were clean shaven, until she saw Sanji's goatee and soul patch. The way he kept it trimmed made her want to nibble on his jaw line...

Another furious blush claimed her cheeks at the thought. “ Fine!” Genevieve squeaked out nervously and she cleared her throat. “ I’m fine Sanji. Not the way I thought I’d be rolling my birthday in in all honesty.”

Sanji’s brow furrowed a little. It was coincidence that she looked like Tamara, could sew, and had the same fondness of chrysanthemums his lost love had. The kitchen was set up just like palace’s kitchen in Denebra. It was more than coincidence that she had Tamara’s birthday. He pulled away hurriedly and he yanked up Genevieve’s left arm, pulling the sleeve down to expose it. No discoloration, no scar...Just smooth skin. He let her go as if burned, though he saw the tint of make up against his palm. Had he brushed her face earlier when he caught her? No, no Sanji hadn’t. What was she hiding there?

Genevieve’s hand flew across Sanji’s face faster than he could react. “ You son of a bitch! What the hell was that about?!” she demanded.

Sanji shook his head, fairly sure he was losing his grip on sanity for a moment. “ I’m sorry, Ms. Genevieve.” he whispered. “ It’s a coincidence that you look like her, that you sew when she loved to sew, like the same flowers she did….It’s the fact that you share the same birthday as her…” Sanji’s voice cracked as he began falling to his knees and Genevieve followed him down. “ I’m sorry, but, she had a scar on her elbow from an accident when we were kids. I…” He felt Genevieve pull him tight against her and his arms wrapped loosely around her waist.

“ It’s okay Sanji.” she whispered into his hair. He was crying now, she could feel his tears soaking into her shirt. “ I understand...I know this must be hard for you.” She looked over at her arm knowingly, and she pulled the sleeve back down. “ I’m not her...And I can’t bring her back.”

Sanji’s breathing evened out against her, and Genevieve chanced a look down. He was fast asleep, his face just shy of being buried between her breasts. Something told her that he would be in heaven if he were conscious right now. Shaking her head in resignation, Genevieve grunted as she dragged him towards one of the loungers. She wasn’t going to wake him right now.

Part of her didn’t want to anyways.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji could feel fingers running through his hair and his eyes fluttered a little as he began waking fully. Whatever he had fallen asleep against was the softest thing he had ever lain against, and he looked up. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw the gentle rise of her breasts on either side of his face, and Sanji almost went limp in his happiness. Like he had told Nami, he was a pervert. The smirk on Genevieve’s face was speaking volumes. How had they ended up in this position again?

“ It’s almost daybreak.” she said. “ I wasn’t expecting you to sleep that long in all honesty.” She blushed a bit as Sanji nuzzled his face between her breasts and she smacked him on the back of the head. That stopped him.

“ Sorry.” he said with a smile. That smile all but said he wasn’t apologetic in the slightest and that he’d take another hit if he was given that opportunity again. Before Genevieve could get up from the divan that they had been stretched out on, he pulled her in for another hug. “ I really am sorry about earlier Ms. Genevieve. I don’t have any excuses for my actions, I just…” Sanji felt Genevieve’s finger pause his ramblings before he could get on a roll. Her forehead bumped his playfully, and Sanji pulled her hand down with a small smile on his face. Their fingers laced together without either of them realizing it.

“ Just shut it already. I told you I understood why… Now, are you going to let me show you to your room or are you just going to sleep out here every night?” Genevieve interrupted.

“ You can just show me where your room is.” Sanji purred playfully. He laughed as Genevieve shoved him away with a roll of her eyes. “ You haven’t gotten to sleep yet have you?”

Genevieve shook her head and she stretched as she stood up. Her shirt rode up a little and Sanji saw the darkened skin of a nasty scar on her hip. What had happened there? How had she gotten the scar on her face to begin with? Those weren’t questions for now. Right now, he needed to find out what room he was supposed to be sleeping in and then he would go to the kitchen to start breakfast. Well, once he was sure Genevieve was sleeping first. He mumbled the thought aloud without realizing it when Genevieve scoffed. Sanji was trying to mother her it seemed and they had known each other less than a day.

“ I’m not going to sleep until after my client comes by to look at her gown. That’s my only appointment today and then I’m going to get some sleep. I can make some of the shirts we need to stock here at home once I wake back up.” she groaned tiredly. She wouldn’t dare tell him, but Genevieve had dozed off herself and had only woken up just before he had. It was the best she had slept in a long, long time. “ I get paid pretty damn well before you ask. Mr. Harrod adores me for the amount of work I can get done in a single week and pays me twice as much.”

Sanji chuckled. “ My old boss was the same way.” he whispered. “ Then again, I was with him for ten years. He was more of a father than my boss.”

Genevieve began leading Sanji through the house towards the room she was putting him in. Zoro and Nami were sequestered in the honeymoon suite at the other end of the hall. His room was actually the closest to her room.

Sanji nodded as he looked at the accommodations, and once he had put what clothing he had brought with him into the armoire, Sanji began walking back towards the kitchen. “ Are you sure you don’t want to chance a nap?” he asked Genevieve as she followed him silently.

“ No, the appointment is at nine sharp. I’m going to eat first, and then go get ready. Like I said, I can sleep once I get back.” Genevieve yawned. “ Coffee would be nice though.”

Sanji nodded. “ Sounds like a plan then.”

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji was in his room for a brief moment gathering a change of clothing and his toiletries when he thought he heard something. Genevieve had returned home about an hour ago and once he had forced her to sit down and eat something for lunch, she had announced she was going to bed. Curious, Sanji followed the noise to a set of double doors near his borrowed room and he listened a little closer. Soft sobs could be heard on the other side, as well as mumbling into the pillow that he couldn't make out. His brow furrowed a little. This was probably Genevieve's room, but why was she crying? He couldn't stand to see a woman upset, all it did was make him want to make everything better. Sanji walked away from the door, worried now for his new friend. Hopefully it wasn't anything major.

 _She probably won't wake up until it's near supper time..._ he thought. Today was her birthday as well. Maybe she thought with all the hustle and bustle of everyone settling in that her special day would be over looked.

Not if Sanji had anything to say about it.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve sniffled a little as she woke up. Her head pounded from crying herself to sleep and her eyes felt beyond dry. She had something to be happy about though. Her appointment with her client had gone well, very few alterations had needed to be done, and she had gotten some more sleep. She felt pretty damn good otherwise. There was a gentle strum of two guitars coming from the foyer and it’s melody had her tapping her foot to the beat, filling her with a happiness that hadn't been there before. Looking to the clock, she was surprised to see it was well after sundown. She hadn’t given Sanji the money to stock the kitchen with either. Damn. Well, she could find something to eat she was sure.

Soon enough, she was sliding down the railing of the stairs, and everyone gave her a small cheer as she appeared and all of them wished her a happy birthday to her surprise. All except one person.

Sanji wasn’t there. Genevieve blushed at the fact that she had hoped to see him.

“ Sanji left some food for you in the kitchen. He went down to the docks for a little bit.” Nami said.

Genevieve entered the kitchen and she smiled as she saw several plates laden with food. It seemed as if he had already caught onto her eating habits. There was a single chrysanthemum on the tray with it with a small note tied to it that read ‘Happy Birthday’. A soft look reached her eyes as she sniffed the bloom and she set it back on the tray. The moment it was cleared, she washed the dishes herself and Genevieve rushed out the door with something in her hand.

There was probably still time to catch him there.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji took sip of the glass of wine he had poured, Tamara’s favorite of course, and he picked up another bloom. “ We’re in a port town called Romoria. I’d think you’d like it here, Mara.” he said quietly. “ There’s a seamstress here that you’d probably get along famously with too. You would pass for twins, you and her. Nami’s all abuzz because she’s a famous seamstress and the first wedding gown she’s making will be Nami’s. I know you would have made your own too, and it would have been the most beautiful dress in the world. Her name is Genevieve.” Something pinged in Sanji’s mind suddenly and he laughed. “ It figures...We briefly talked kids in the event you were pregnant before you left...You said you wanted to name her that if we had a girl.” He cut the bloom from its stem and he lowered it to the water as carefully as he could so that it would float.

“ You should probably know that you would have had a gem if you had returned to him…”

Sanji turned in surprise as Genevieve walked towards the end of the dock to sit beside him. She had the single bloom he had given her in her hands. “ He’s missed you a lot, I can tell. There was even a moment he thought that I was you in disguise. I’m sorry that this happened to both of you, but I know you’re proud of him and watching over him. Happy birthday to you by the way, and for the record it’s my birthday too. My name is Genevieve Aurelie Cygne.” She was so focused on the flower she didn’t see Sanji noticeably react to the name. “ I would have loved to have met you too...To see if we are as much alike as Sanji says we are. I bet we could have talked about sewing, and all sorts of stuff. Maybe you could have helped me with Nami’s gown. This will have to be good enough though.” Genevieve pulled the stem away from the flower and she lowered it down to the water as well. Soon it joined the rest of the blooms that were floating out over the moonlit horizon.

Sanji swallowed thickly and he felt her hand cover his. “ You didn’t have to join me.” he said, barely able to find his voice. He gave her a squeeze with his fingers and Genevieve leaned her head against his shoulder.

“ You shouldn’t have to be alone either. I think it’s sweet that you do this for her every year, talking to the flowers before sending them out to sea.” Genevieve sighed. “ At least she has one person who remembers her, who still cherishes her this much. I wish that could be a possibility for me too.”

“ Why couldn’t it be?” Sanji asked her. His hand turned a little as his fingers laced with hers and his head leaned against Genevieve’s as well. “ You’re a beautiful woman, Genny. You could have any man you wanted.”

“ What if I told you that you’re not the only one around here who’s been guarding their heart? I’ve had men see me from the right side and look at me with interest until I turn to face them fully. This scar…” Genevieve’s voice cracked and her hand gripped his tightly. “ It’s chased more than it’s fair share of men away. They see it as a deformity, not a badge of courage like Mr. Harrod calls it. I got it two years ago when a navy officer got pissed that I wasn’t going to allow him to bed me on the first date.” She felt Sanji turn her in his arms and she tucked her head under his chin. “ That bastard ruined me, so I live now as I probably will after you all leave. Alone.”

“ You’re not ruined, Genny…” he whispered. Without warning, a chrysanthemum bloom landed on top of Genevieve’s hair and Sanji stared at it in shock. Was this supposed to be a sign? Was Tamara trying to tell him something from the afterlife, that she approved of the woman in his arms?

 

* * *

 

 

From an overpass five blocks away, Nami gave Usopp a high five. “ Good shot Usopp.”

“ Do you really think that he’ll go for it?” Luffy asked as he stared intently towards the docks. The rest of the crew had followed from a distance to see how this played out. Nami had been expecting for Genevieve to take the bait and she had.

Hook, line, and sinker.

" Oh he’ll go for it alright. Seriously, even I can see that those two need to be together. If anyone can look past something physical like a scar, it’s Sanji, which will help heal Genevieve’s heart and confidence. She told me about how she’s been snubbed over by shallow men because of that scar. She wants to find happiness herself, but she can’t because the guys she comes into contact with are assholes. And if any woman can worm her way into Sanji’s heart again, I’ll bet a hundred thousand berries that Genevieve can. He’s scared to try to find his own happiness again, and Genevieve can give him that happiness.” Nami kept her eyes on both of them and she smirked. Sanji needed someone to claim his heart unintentionally for him to fully let go of the past. Sometimes, that took a little prodding.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve laughed a little as she cradled the pure white bloom in her hands. “ I think this was her way of saying hello, or that she’s listening.” she sniffled.

“ Or maybe it was a message for me.” Sanji whispered. Both his hands cradled hers and Genevieve’s sea blue eyes met his. With a small smile, they both nodded and put the blossom into the water.  _Okay Tamara. I’ve got it. I’m not rushing into it though._ he thought. He turned back to look at Genevieve, who was watching the flower float out to sea. “ I wasn’t lying you know.”

“ About what?” she asked him. Genevieve turned back to look at him and her breath caught in her throat. It had been a long time since a man had looked at her like that. His hand came up to cup her cheek and he leaned in close to her until they were nose to nose.

“ That you’re beautiful.” Sanji whispered. His lips touched hers tentatively at first, forcing a shocked gasp from Genevieve, but she sighed as he kissed her fully.

It was time to let go of the past, and time to embrace the future.


	3. Some Scars Never Heal

The Strawhats got used to seeing a seeing a different side to Sanji over the course of the next three weeks. The two could be seen either in the kitchen or out on the patio whenever Genevieve was home and on one of her rare days off, there had even been one point where Sanji had mock chased Genevieve through her mansion playfully. Her shrieks of laughter had had the rest of the crew laughing along with the two for hours. That chase had ended when Genevieve sent Sanji barreling into the pool, though he had pulled her in with him in retaliation.

In that time, not only had the material for the sails arrive, but Genevieve had Nami’s wedding dress a third of the way completed. The basic gown was done, but it was all the little embellishments that was taking as long as it was. The gown itself was being beaded painstakingly so to include tiny mimics of Nami’s tattoo, not that Genevieve had let the bride see it yet either. No, the unvieling of this gown to Nami was going to be the highlight of Genevieve's career.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji sighed happily as he made his way through the town carrying a lunch box for Genevieve. His heart felt lighter than it had in years because of the seamstress. Sanji had never realized how tight his chest had been until it disappeared slowly over the last few weeks. Yes, he had moved on and he was finally honoring Tamara's last wish for him. The lunchbox in his hand tapped against his leg and Sanji couldn't help but chuckle. He had been doing this for the last week ever since he had found out that she was skipping out on the midday meal because she was wrapped up in her work and it was the only way he could actually get Genevieve to actually sit down and eat. He walked through the door of the boutique, and Genevieve beamed at him with a smile so bright it nearly blinded him. “ Sanji!” she exclaimed, and she rushed over to him to give him a kiss.

Sanji smiled even as he kissed her back. Damn he was going to miss this, miss her, when the time came to leave Romoria. He only hoped he would have a chance to return for her before the Strawhats left the Grand Line. Make no doubt about it, Sanji was not going to be returning home without Genevieve. “ I like getting hellos like that.” he chuckled. “ I brought lunch for you Genny.” He was the only one allowed to call her that, as Brook had attempted to use the pet name and had gotten snapped at.

“ Thanks hun.” Genevieve replied. “ I’m glad you got here. I’ve got something I want you to try out for me. I had Mr. Harrod order a few bolts of this when he ordered the material for the sails, and I want your opinion on them. She brought over a pair of slacks and she handed them excitedly to Sanji. “ Go try them on! Come on!”

Sanji laughed as his paramour pushed him towards the fitting stall and he closed the curtain behind him. “ So far so good, Gen.” Sanji said appraisingly as he slid the pants up. “ I like the material. It’s soft, smooth, and it’s got a nice gloss to it too. What’s so special about this pair of slacks though?”

“ Let’s go out back!”  Genevieve replied randomly and cryptically. “ How do they fit?”

“ Perfectly. I don’t think any pair of pants I’ve worn have ever fit this well.” Sanji said honestly. He followed Genevieve through the store to the backyard of the shop.

“ That’s because you haven’t been measured correctly in a few years I’d wager. You’re one hundred and eighty centimeters tall Sanji, not one hundred and seventy three centimeters like you told me a few weeks ago.” Genevieve remarked. She pointed to the tree. “ Go ahead and give it a couple of kicks.”

Sanji, though completely confused, followed her directive and he went through a few of his hard hitting kicks. He was worried about the state of the slacks once he was through. The bark on the tree was sharp enough to tear fabric.

Genevieve was smiling from ear to ear. “ See any damage to them?” she asked.

Sanji was already looking them over when she asked. “ Nothing. What did you make these things out of, spun steel or something?”

“ It’s a durable fabric out of the north blue, fire proof, mostly cut proof. High ranking navy officers use it, but Mr. Harrod was able to get me a couple bolts thanks to a contact of his. I’m going to be making quite a few pairs for you now that I know they work great and you’ll have a couple of matching jackets for them too. This way you can keep the iconic suit you’re wearing without having to sacrifice style for hardiness.” Genevieve answered. She was surprised when Sanji pinned her to the back wall of the shop as his lips crashed against hers, but she relaxed into his kiss nonetheless. If only she wasn’t so scared to go the rest of the way…

Those thoughts were quickly pushed to the wayside as Sanji deepened their kiss. His hands were running down her arms, and soon over her hips as he drew her closer against his body. Genevieve could feel his manhood, hard and ready, trapped between them and she shivered. There had been a few points over the last week alone where they had gotten to this point, but every time, Genevieve had turned back.

“ Sanji…” she whimpered. “ Sanji we need to calm down.”

“ Any particular reason why?” he purred in her ear, only to chuckle sexily as she shuddered at the sound of his voice.

“ This isn’t the only scar I have, Sanji.” Genevieve replied painfully. “ I honestly don’t want you to see it either.” There were tears in her eyes as she thought about that scar, about the night she got it. It was by no means small either, and Genevieve felt Sanji brush away her tears.

“ Okay, Genny. I’m sorry...I didn’t know that was the case. I thought you were nervous because…” Sanji didn’t finish his sentence but Genevieve caught on.

“ I have no reason to be nervous Sanji. I know you wouldn’t hurt me.” Genevieve kissed his forehead and she began walking back inside. “ By the way, pick out colors you like and put them by my sewing machine. I’ll make some new shirts to go along with the suits I’m making for you” she said softly with a smile.

" I will." Sanji sighed a bit and he kicked the wall carefully. He didn’t want to send the building crashing down around her after all. What was it going to take to get it through Genevieve’s head that her scars didn’t push him away? A thought came to mind and he smiled to himself. Maybe Sanji could convince the others to head over to check on the ship tonight, and to get it cleaned up. Knowing Frankie, he’d put the crew to work if he so much as saw a barnacle on the side of the Thousand Sunny. Well, it was worth a shot, though he was sure that the rest of the crew would oblige him. If not tonight, than it would have to be the night before they left. Sanji could always meet them in port.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve was smiling to herself as she hummed, working on the beading once more for Nami’s dress. The bell of the gown had a panel of tangerine orange silk in the front center of it and it certainly made the dress stand out. The minute Nami had mentioned that she had been raised on a tangerine orchard had put the idea in Genevieve’s head, along with the tattoo. Once the beading was complete, the seamstress planned to add a pinwheel shaped bow to the back. This way she was honoring the two people who Nami regarded as her parents.

“ Alright Genevieve. It’s time to put the needle down for the night and lock up the shop. No appointments tomorrow so you have a chance to get a lot of the work done on this dress. I can’t wait until we can get the pictures of it! Oh, we are going to have brides lining up for you to make their gowns for them!” Grigori Harrod exclaimed excitedly. He was a damn good tailor himself, and he was working on the sails for the ship while Genevieve worked on her friend’s dress. “ You can let your friends know the sails will be ready in three more days.”

Genevieve shook her head, confused by that statement. She was good, but she wasn't that good. “ I haven’t even started them yet, Mr. Harrod. I wanted to finish Nami’s dress before I did those up.” she retorted.

“ I’ve been working on the sails for you, Genevieve. And you don’t have to tell them right away if you’re not ready. Bear in mind that the navy will be doing it’s rounds of the town very soon. We don’t want them caught.” Harrod said worriedly. Genevieve would only feel horrible if her new friends were to be caught by the Navy here. Especially that young man that came to visit her during her lunch breaks. Unbeknownst to Genevieve, he was already planning on telling her to join them. He hadn’t seen her this happy, no this alive since he hired her on almost five years ago. He just needed to find a way to tell her friends that he wanted them to take her with them.

Genevieve nodded worriedly. That was in a week. She still had four days worth of beading to do on the dress, maybe another week until it was finished. “ I think we can keep them hidden for the day. I have to finish this dress before they go.”

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve could hear her house guests laughing amongst themselves from the foyer. By the sound of it, they had gone out to the patio for Sanji to smoke. A couple of tears streaked down her cheeks. In two weeks, her house would be empty again, and she’d go back to being alone. Alone like she had been for the last five years. She bypassed joining them tonight and instead shot straight up to her work room. It was the one room in the house that was off limits. She was getting clothing ready for all of them to take, so that they had something for any occasion. Thick, wool and fleece lined winter coats, warm mittens for the winter isles. Light, airy clothing for the spring and summer isles, complete with protective cloaks and hoods for desert climates. Pull over sweaters and scarves for the fall isles.

If only she could join them…

Genevieve shook her head. No, that wasn’t even an option! If she did that, everything she had worked towards the last five years would come undone.

Then why did she still have a bag packed with everything she wanted to take, including a large box for her pet project. The very reason she had restricted everyone from this room. Why had she pulled out every single berry she had earned and had place it in a large suitcase to add to the crew’s funds for fabric.

_The next two weeks are going to bring one hell of a crossroads to me…_ Genevieve thought. She was ready to run off on a whim with these pirates, all because of Sanji. He was also the reason she knew that she shouldn’t go at all, lest he learn the truth behind her scars.

“ What am I going to do?” she whimpered into the room. Tears rolled down her cheeks and Genevieve brushed them away. She didn't have the luxury of time. There was still work to be done.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji sighed heavily. He could hear Genevieve in the next room crying herself to sleep again. He was fairly certain he knew why. Everything that they knew about her didn’t add up at all. Not a damn thing. The makeup that came away from her arm was the biggest kicker. Sanji had had a lot of time to think over the last five weeks alone, and he had spent it analyzing everything that Genevieve had told him. There was one other thing. During the first week that they had been in town, Genevieve had used her right hand. As if it was completely unintentional, Sanji had noticed that she was using her left hand for almost everything nowadays. You didn’t switch dominant hands like that, not that easily at least.

He was about to head outside for a cigarette when he heard something else from Genevieve’s room. His brow furrowed, Sanji shook his head. He couldn’t take another minute more of this.  
  
Genevieve was swearing under her breath as she picked up the broken glass from the floor. She hadn’t meant to drop the glass in her hand, but she couldn’t get them to stop shaking. The crew was leaving in a week, and from there, Genevieve was going to say goodbye to Sanji once and for all. She hoped that their time together had healed his heart enough to convince him that he needed happiness in his life again, but she was crushing her own with these actions. She didn’t want this to happen again.

It was for the best though.

A soft knock at the door made her freeze. She was only in a negligee. A very short, and very sheer negligee in her favorite color of red.

“ I’m coming in whether you want me to or not.” came Sanji’s voice.

Genevieve hurriedly put the pieces of glass in the wastebin and she jumped under her blankets. She didn’t want Sanji seeing her like this. She didn’t want him to see that damn scar! Thank god the lights were off.

The door opened and closed softly, and Sanji padded over to the bed as silent as a ghost. Genevieve wasn’t sure if he had turned back or not, but she stiffened when she felt the other side of the bed dip and his weight joined hers. One arm snaked under the pillow as the other pulled her tighter against his body.

“ I know you’re awake.” He whispered against her neck. “ You don’t have to say a word. I just can’t let you keep hurting yourself like this.” He turned her in his embrace and Genevieve sniffled as she tried to hold back. “ Don’t bottle it up. I’m right here...Just let go.”

And she did.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji woke the next morning to find Genevieve sitting at her vanity. Again, there was only smooth, flawless skin on her left arm as he looked. Had he been wrong all along in his thinking? What if Genevieve was ambidextrous? Everytime the two had cuddled on the divan while she sewed, she had been tucked under his left arm because he smoked with his right hand. Nonetheless, he smiled as he looked at her. “ Good morning gorgeous.” he said.

Genevieve jumped slightly and her brush clattered to the floor. “ Sanji. It’s still early. You can sleep some more if you want to.” she replied with a smile. “ Thank you for last night by the way. It’s the best I’ve slept in a long, long time.”

“ What’s making you hurt Gen?” he asked her as she came to sit on the bed beside him. “ Why have you been crying yourself to sleep every night?”

“ Because I’ll be alone again once all of you leave. You won’t be here any more Sanji. It’ll be over…” she whispered this last part softly and Genevieve felt Sanji cup her cheek as he sat up. His lips slid over hers tenderly and she almost burst into tears right then and there.

“ Who said it needed to be? I’m coming back for you, Genevieve. I don’t care how long it takes, when we finally leave the Grand Line, I’m bringing you back with me.” Sanji admitted. “ Make no doubt about it either.”

Genevieve shut Sanji up before he could say another word.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve smiled brightly, her heart soaring higher than any cloud in the sky. Due to the mood in which she had left the house, she had been nothing but energy since getting to the boutique. It showed too. The dress she had been painstakingly working on for the last month was done, and it was beautiful! Nami’s wedding gown was all set to go and she still had another week before the Strawhats left her home. Sanji had not been happy about the news when she had told them over breakfast last week, but they were all getting into gear on purchasing everything they would need for the two month trip to Sensenbor Island. Tomorrow, Genevieve would be able to present the gown to the glowing bride and maybe they would have their wedding before leaving. She wanted to see that dress go down the aisle so badly.

Harrod patted Genevieve’s shoulder proudly as he looked at the wedding dress. “ It’s everything she’s going to want it to be I’m sure.” he said. “ Why don’t you go over to Maggie’s and get a bottle of champagne. This one calls for a celebration.”

“ Maggie’s shop is halfway across town and Sanji will be here any minute with lunch, Mr. Harrod.” Genevieve countered.

“ I’ll make him wait. Besides, I want to hand off the sails today so that they can get them strung up into place before they leave. They’re starting their preparations, right?” Harrod actually wanted Sanji to tell the rest of his crew to start loading the things Genevieve would need to take with her. He had supplies he wanted to send off with her too.

Genevieve rolled her eyes and she sighed. “ Don’t let him leave without me coming back first.” she conceded.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve hadn’t been gone a full twenty minutes when Sanji walked through the door. Genevieve wasn’t at her machine. “ Mr. Harrod, did Genny step out for a moment?” he called to the back of the store.

“ Back here my boy! Come here a moment!” Harrod replied. He was taking photos of the completed wedding dress. Hopefully they would be able to get pictures of Nami in it too to make it complete.

“ Where’s...Oh wow...Nami’s going to faint when she sees this.” Sanji said honestly. He had been the only one to get little peaks of the dress here and there while Genevieve was making it.

“ I sent her to get a bottle of champagne, but I wanted to talk to you alone in all honesty. You’re leaving next week, right?” Harrod asked. His brown eyes looked up at the tall young man beside him.

“ Unfortunately.” Sanji replied, his brow furrowed.

“ I wanted to ask you to take Genevieve with you. I was famous in my own right before she began working here. I’ll still be able to manage if she’s gone. Genevieve has been so much happier ever since you came into her life, Sanji. I’ve known her for the last five years. I’ve never seen her in love before, but I’m pretty sure she’s in love with you. She’s very much like a daughter to me, and I just want to see her happy. If that means becoming a pirate…” Harrod gave Sanji a big, cheesy smile with both thumbs up. “...I say go for it!”

_The only thing we ask is that you continue to make her as happy as you have…_ King Percival had penned those words to him years ago. It seemed as if Harrod was cut from the same cloth, no pun intended towards the tailor of course. “ That’s Genny’s choice in the long run, but I’ll talk to her about it tonight. I’ll ask her to join us.” Sanji replied.

Harrod jumped for joy at that reply. “ Now this really does call for a bottle of champagne! Genevieve should be back any minute now!” he exclaimed. “ Make sure you have Franky come get the sails. I’ve also got a bunch of supplies I’m sending with all of you, including more material for more sails should it come to it. This way, you all won’t be stuck in port for a long time and Genevieve can get them done right then and there.”

“ Sounds good to me, Mr. Harrod.” Sanji replied with a big smile of his own.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve laughed as Sanji popped the cork on the bottle for them and he filled each of their glasses to the brim.

“ To Nami and Zoro! She’s going to knock him on his ass when she goes down the aisle in this dress!” Genevieve said spritely.

“ To friendship, old and new, may the bonds never be severed.” Harrod seconded.

“ To Genevieve, the best damn seamstress on the Grand Line.” Sanji finalized.

Their toasts charged, the three knocked back their glasses and Harrod boxed the newly finished gown with care.

“ I know you wanted her to see it tomorrow, but I have a feeling you’re dying to show it to her tonight.” Harrod said sagely. “ See if we can get her picture in it too.”

Genevieve beamed at Harrod. “ Thank you.” she whispered.

“ When will I get the chance to see you in one of these, Genny?” Harrod asked her as he handed her the box. Genevieve blushed crimson at the question, as did Sanji. The old man had just pretty much asked him if he was going to propose to the young woman. He had only been here a month! He had known Tamara for years before asking her to marry him! His loud boisterous laughter filled the shop. “ Both of you get going. I’ll close everything up. And Sanji…”

“ Yes sir?”

“ Don’t forget to have Franky come get the sails seeing as you need to get dinner started for all of you.”

“ I’ll send him over the minute we get back.” Sanji replied with a smile.

 

* * *

  
  
Nami was in Genevieve’s room with her when the bride to be opened the box. “ Genevieve! Oh my goodness! It’s perfect!” Nami gingerly lifted the dress and she looked to Genevieve. “ Can I put it on, please?!”

Genevieve smiled. As a seamstress, this was what she lived for, seeing the look in her client's eyes when they looked upon their new gowns. This gown would have so much more significance though. Nami would be wearing it when she swore her undying love and fidelity to Zoro. She nodded and Nami squealed again in happiness. Genevieve was silent as she helped Nami into the gown and once everything was in place, she looked Nami over.

“ I was wrong...You’re not going to knock Zoro on his ass when he sees you in this. The entire male portion of the crew is going to be on the floor.” Genevieve said proudly. Her eyes widened in afterthought and she smiled broadly. “ Please let it be a windy day when you two get married!”

“ Why?” Nami replied. Genevieve dragged her over to the standing mirror and Nami was curious as she was forced to look over her shoulder. Then Genevieve touched a finger to the bow.

It was a functional pinwheel! Nami smiled brightly. “ You’re a genius!” she exclaimed. “ I wish you could be there. Zoro and I are planning to get married back in Cocoyashi Village once we leave the Grand Line.” Nami replied. Her gaze softened considerably as she looked Genevieve in the eye. “ I’m going to miss you so much.”

Genevieve nodded silently. She didn’t dare speak and turn it into a crying fest. Helping Nami from the gown and placing back into the box for safe keeping, Genevieve glared as someone knocked on the door. She had been hoping for a little bit of girl talk between them. More specifically Genevieve had questions she wanted to ask about Sanji.

“ Genny, Nami, dinner’s ready.” came Sanji’s voice.

“ Have you two…” Nami began, a sly smile on her face.

Genevieve shook her head. They had come very, very close this morning, but Genevieve’s insecurities about her scar had stopped them once more. “ No, and I plan to keep it that way. It’ll make saying goodbye easier for both of us.” Her hand gripped her left arm a bit tightly. Last night had been too close. Much too close. Allowing them all to stay here was running the risk that they would find out the truth. That Sanji would find out...

If that happened, it would break Sanji’s heart all over again.

Nami shook her head. “ I’d say it’s a damn shame. Any man that cooks as well as he does has to be a damn good lover in bed.” she said, her tone wistful. She pulled her shirt back on and exited Genevieve’s room. Sanji was waiting for her.

“ Well?” he asked Nami.

Nami smiled dreamily. “ It’s a perfect fit.” She patted his shoulder and shook her head. “ Just like she is for you, you know.” Without another word, Nami walked off towards the dining room.

Sanji sighed as well as he entered Genevieve’s room. “ Are you going to join us tonight or are you going to your work room again?” he asked her.

Genevieve set the box down on her writing desk as she thought over his question. “ I don't know yet." Genevieve's eyes glossed over in sadness. She had to make sure he was okay with not going any further than they had. " Sanji, would you be okay with us not…” She colored a bit as she thought of the best way to word it. “...Not making love before you all leave?”

“ This is about that other scar you’re hiding again? I saw it a little this morning you realize.” Sanji asked. He closed the door. Everyone had already started eating anyways. He also made sure to put some aside for the two of them in the event something like this happened. Sanji had been trying to build up Genevieve’s self confidence in her body, and it was slow going. 

Genevieve nodded. Her back was to him and she felt Sanji turn her to face him. His lips met hers and Genevieve couldn’t help herself. She reacted like a moth to flame.

“ Gen, your scars are part of you, they tell a story. I won’t think differently of you because of them. You’re still beautiful to me.” he whispered against her lips. “ I don’t want a simple goodbye between us. Not when you’re the reason I feel like this again. I’ve been afraid to risk my heart, Gen, but you...You up and plundered it without asking.” Sanji kissed Genevieve much more boldly this time, and she gasped into his mouth as his hands slid under the hem of her shirt. It was a large scar, stemming from just under her ribs on the left side to under the waistband of her jeans. It probably ran over her hip. Sanji felt unspeakable anger fill him for a moment. Who could hurt such a precious, defenseless woman like her? That wound had been meant to kill, and still Genevieve lived. He lifted her shirt, and Genevieve’s arms followed as if she were on automatic.

Her torso bared to him, Sanji pulled away from her mouth and he began kissing his way down slowly and reverently. Surely she had to realize what she had come to mean to him. His hands deftly undid the button of her jeans and he began sliding those down her legs as his mouth moved through the valley of her breasts. Genevieve’s hands were tangled in his hair, trying to direct his movements, but Sanji was a man on a mission. He was going to make her realize just how beautiful she was, no matter what scars she bore on her body.

Genevieve felt Sanji lower her onto her bed, but she was too far gone to care right now. Part of her wanted to know, the other part was terrified. Her panties soon hit the floor with the rest of her clothing and she laid before him in her glory. The look in his eyes was of acceptance, desire, passion. Genevieve tried to sit up, but Sanji stayed her. Whatever that man was up to, he wasn’t done.

Sanji pressed another kiss into her flesh, this time over the scar that dominated her abdomen. Genevieve took those scant moments to get five of the eight buttons on his shirt undone. Thank god he wasn’t wearing his jacket this time. Sanji removed his tie, sending it flying over near the vanity. Genevieve sighed softly as he pressed a sweet kiss into her scar and tears filled her eyes. It had been too long since she had felt this beautiful, and it was because of Sanji. One last kiss pressed into her hip and she felt his hand smooth over her reverently.

“ I don’t see this scar as something ugly Genevieve. It’s a testament of your strength, your will to live. This would have killed a lesser man, and yet you survived. That makes you beautiful. That you continue to survive, that you’ve carried on your life the way you have.” Sanji replied. This wound was made by a sword. As desperately as he didn’t want to think it possible, the brief thought that Genevieve may be lying about who she was crossed his mind again.  _No, don’t think like that._  Sanji chided himself internally.  _Your only focus should be to remind her of how beautiful she is..._

Genevieve cried out as he pressed a kiss into her flesh just below her navel. Oh god, what was he up to? Another kiss was laid over her womb, though Sanji was moving lower still and he hooked her legs over his shoulders. His eyes were on hers the entire time. Genevieve gasped prettily as he kissed her lower lips and with a sexy smirk, his tongue darted out to taste her. A pleased groan escaped him as he lapped away at her honey, collecting it directly from the source. She was so sweet, sweeter than Zeff’s creme brulee and Sanji lost himself in the taste of her.

Her impassioned cries only egged him on to take her all the way, her thrashing only served to make Sanji even more determined to please her. His arousal was straining against the confines of his trousers and every noise Genevieve made shot straight to his loins. God, he felt as if he was going to cum just from listening to her.

“ Sanji I’m...I’m…” Genevieve keened. Her back arched high off the bed and one hand gripped Sanji’s hair tightly as she pulled him closer yet. A long moan tapered down to nothingness as she came down from the high he had given her and Sanji groaned delightedly himself. He hadn’t missed a single drop of her ambrosia.

Soon he was claiming her lips again, this time much more passionately, and Genevieve tangled their limbs together. It wasn’t long before he was as devoid of clothing as she was, and Sanji groaned into her mouth as he entered her with a quick thrust. Genevieve cried out softly, her body rolled in time with his. His name fell in soft whispered pants against his lips each time he filled her.

It had been much too long since she had felt like this…

Their passion rose, Sanji’s pace mounted harder, faster as he pulled at her hips. He had no idea when it had happened, but she was head down against the mattress, and her hands were clenching her sheets tightly.

“ So beautiful…” he whispered as if pained. He paused for only a second as he gently pulled her up and into his lap as he laid down. He wanted to look up at her when she climaxed, Sanji wanted to watch her spiral into bliss. “ Come for me Gen.” he urged her. His hips were rising and meeting hers in the middle as Genevieve rode him hard and fast. The way she was rolling her hips was driving him wild for her, was bringing him ever closer to the edge.

“ Sanji!” Genevieve cried as her head flew back. “ Oh god, Sanji I...I! Ah...Ahhh!” Shit, her body had obeyed his request without missing a beat it seemed. Her body drew in upon itself before exploding outward, sending her into Nirvana as her orgasm crashed over her. Her hot flow washed over Sanji, wetting him with the force of her release.

Sanji’s eyes went wide as he felt her tighten around him and he felt his own release peak. Not yet! He was not going to blow before he rode out her orgasm! “ Oh damn…” he groaned. Genevieve was a sight to behold in her surrender, her hips moving of their own accord now. “ Gen! I’m coming!” he gasped. “ Shit, baby, I’m coming!”

Genevieve felt Sanji pull her off of him and Sanji groaned her name gutturally as his seed splashed against her ass and back. He pulled her down to him, kissing her deeply and passionately. “ Why’d you pull me off?” Genevieve asked him, her voice a sultry purr.

“ Didn’t want to risk...Kids...Not ready for kids yet…” Sanji panted, though he was smiling softly. “ What was that about not wanting me to make love to you?”

“ You’ve proven your point Sanji.” Genevieve giggled. She squealed in surprise as Sanji pinned her to the headboard and he aligned himself to enter her again. That man had just climaxed and he was ready for another go?! Oh damn, just how much stamina did Sanji have?

“ Good, because now I’m not leaving this bed until morning..Well, I’ll go down to the kitchen for food soon, but you’re not going to be walking if I have anything to say about it.” Sanji purred. “ I hope you’re up for a long night Genny, because you’re not getting that much sleep.” Genevieve was about to retort, but it turned into a high pitched whine as he eased himself back inside of her and Sanji smirked. Ah yes, now he had one more thing to do.

Convince her to join them on their journey. Sanji didn’t care if he had to fuck a yes out of her either. Come next week, Genevieve Cygne was leaving Romoria.

 

* * *

  
  
“ One hundred thousand berries that they’re up all night.” Nami said knowingly. She had a broad smirk in her face as Genevieve's passionate cries echoed down stairs. Sanji must be putting it to her pretty damn good for the petite woman to be making so much noise. They had a game of cards going this time and she scoffed at her hand. It was crap.

“ Taken.” everyone agreed.

Zoro smirked. “ To be honest, I wasn’t expecting him to actually go through with it this late into the game. I figured he’d rather have a good clean goodbye.”

“ The tension between them has been very thick for the last two weeks alone.” Brook said as he shook his head. His hair shook comically along with it. “ Rummy. Sanji’s going to be pining for weeks now.”

“ Nah, she’ll join us. I’m sure of it.” Luffy retorted. A loud thunk stopped the game and had everyone looking upstairs curiously. What the hell were those two doing behind closed doors? “ She’s our friend, but if she doesn’t come along, she’ll get lonely here again.”

Franky entered the room and he looked around in confusion. He had just finished loading not just the new sails, but all the supplies Harrod wanted them to have as well. An industrial strength sewing machine as well as some forms had been put in the last empty room. It hadn’t taken Frankie long to get the shelving set up, along with a drafting and cutting table. Genevieve now had herself a full fledged crafting room on the ship.“ Where’s Genevieve and Sanji at? I didn’t see them outside.”

Everyone pointed up and Franky's eyes widened knowingly as he shook his head. Sanji had better get that girl to say yes to joining the crew, otherwise he would be going through one hell of a dry spell until they could come back to Romoria on their way off the Grand Line.

 

* * *

  
  
Genevieve was mindlessly sewing shirts the next day at the boutique. She had managed to tell Sanji no, despite his creative attempts to convince her to join the Strawhat’s crew. She felt a little hollow for saying it though. She wanted nothing more than to join them on their adventure.

That was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. The danger she would put them in was much too great!

The bell on the door tinged. It wasn’t Sanji. He wasn’t due to walk through the door for another couple minutes yet, that man was so punctual when it came to her lunch breaks. “ Welcome to Boutique Harrod. My name is Genevieve. How can I…” Genevieve paused in her normal introduction when her eyes fell on the men who had entered the shop. No...This couldn’t be happening. Not here!

Cold brown eyes stared into Genevieve’s wide blue ones. “ Good afternoon…” he began, his face splitting into a terrible sneer.

“ Princess Tamara Leonias.”

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji was just nearing Harrod’s when a gunshot went off and he looked up in surprise. What in the blue hell was going on here?! Romoria had been nothing but a peaceful little port town since they arrived a month ago.

“ MR. HARROD!” came Genevieve’s scream. “ You bastards!” Sanji was running for the shop now, attempting to shoulder past the people fleeing the opposite way. “ I’ll kill you for this!”

_Who ever it is, don’t fight them Gen! Don’t get yourself hurt!_  Sanji thought desperately. “ Get out of my way! I need to get the Harrod’s dammit!” Sanji bellowed.

The sound of glass shattering sent people further into a panic to flee the area. A man had just rocketed out of the window, and had hit the stone wall of the shop across the way. Another man was sent sailing out of the shop and Sanji looked at them in shock. Had Genevieve done this? The second man got back to his feet and he pulled his comrade up as well. Both charged back into the shop where the sounds of a fight were getting clearer and clearer as Sanji got closer.

“ Just give it up, Princess! Magnus recognized you the minute he saw you in the paper! Did you think that he wouldn’t recognize the scar he gave you?!”

“ Can it Morris!” Genevieve bellowed back. “ Magnus couldn't kill me even when I was sixteen years old. What the hell makes you think I’m going to die that easily?!”

Sanji’s heart began thundering in his chest. Princess? Magnus? No...His suspicions couldn’t be true! She didn’t have the burn scar on her left arm...Hell, he had in her the buff just yesterday! Wait a second, what about the makeup he found on his hand? What if she was covering up the scar this entire time because she knew he’d recognize it in an instant. He would have seen it! Sanji rushed into Harrod’s only to see Genevieve...

The young woman was not Genevieve. Her entire demeanor had changed drastically, that familiar look of determination and fire was burning bright in her eyes. The familiar square of her jaw when it was clenched brought back memories of when the two of them had bickered endlessly over little things that seemed so stupid to Sanji now.

No, it was Tamara. Her feet were flying fast, hard, and true and she had a blade in her left hand. That was the final clincher. Tamara was left handed and was deadly accurate with a sword in that hand. The cutlass looked borrowed, but she was still using her royal swordplay in conjunction with the Leg Technique Zeff had taught them from the time they were children.

“ Get the hell away from her!” Sanji bellowed. His foot came down hard on the back of Morris’ neck and Sanji heard the bones snap. With that big brute out of the way, Tamara’s cutlass found the throats of the other two men that had attacked. Blood splashed against the pretty green blouse she was wearing, forever staining it.

“ Get him over to Annette’s!” she ordered, referring to Harrod as he leaned against the wall wheezing.

“ Why didn’t you tell me the truth Tamara?” Sanji hissed. So many emotions were coursing through him. Anger, remorse, happiness at the fact she was indeed alive after all this time.

“ Sanji we don’t have time for this! He’s going to die!” Tamara wailed, her blue eyes wide and fearful.

“ Why Tamara?!” he demanded. His heart was twisting in his chest. Dear god, he should have known better. Why had he let himself believe otherwise?

“ I was dead to you, Sanji! What the fuck was I supposed to say? Oh hey, I’m your fiance from five years ago. I didn’t die like you might have thought I did when the news of my father’s ship being destroyed came out. Do you still want to marry me?” Tamara shot back in a falsetto. Her ocean gaze fell hard on Sanji as she lifted Harrod into her arms. When had she gotten this strong, or had she only been holding back because he was around? “ Get out of my way so that I can get him to Annette. I need to leave Romoria now.”

“ Sanji…” Harrod manage to say. “ Get her out of here. Get your crew. I know you’re set to go. Comb the mansion clean. Don’t leave a single trace of her behind.” He grunted hard as he pushed himself out of Tamara’s grasp and she looked at him fearfully. “ I can get there myself, princess. Please, run, live...The north blue will be completely lost if we lose the last Leonias.” Harrod pushed Tamara towards Sanji even as he began coughing and wheezing in pain. “ Please, both of you go...Out the back! There are more coming up the street!”

Tamara’s gaze hardened. “ Do as I said and get him to Annette, Sanji. You run faster than I do. I can cover the two of you and meet you back at the mansion. I can’t run from this Mr. Harrod, I have to protect Romoria before I leave...I do have to ask though. How long have you known who I was?”

“ Since the day you came to me begging for a job. I made your mother’s wedding dress when she wedded your father, Tamara. You look exactly like her, with the exception of your father’s eyes and chin.” he said with a weak smile.

“ You and I are going to have a very,  _very_  long talk later.” Sanji said sternly. His gaze softened considerably and he grabbed Tamara’s forearm before she could step out into the street. He kissed her quickly and he felt her tremble. “ Be careful Mara.”

“ Get out of here.” she ordered. “ I’ll be at the mansion in five minutes. Start having everyone grab everything from my work room upstairs. It’s everything I want to bring with me…”

Sanji smirked. “ You were going to come all along then?”

Tamara looked over her shoulder. “ I was actually still on the fence about leaving, but it never hurts to be prepared." She replied with a hollow shrug of her shoulders. The look in those eyes was unlike anything Sanji had ever seen from her before. She held the promise of death and violence in those eyes. " Get going. Like I said, I'll be there in five minutes."

Sanji nodded. He was going to have to trust her.

Tamara stepped out of the ruined boutique and she swung her sword experimentally. This was nothing like her saber, which was broken and boxed away with the rest of her belongings. She had yet to find a smithy who could reforge the blade. It could cut and it would serve it's purpose however. Thirty men were storming up the main street, shopkeepers were looking on, terrified, from their store windows. The first wave attempted to surround Tamara, but either her feet or her blade found them before they could attack. Tamara ducked and weaved, striking where she could but there were more men coming from the docks.  _Okay, maybe more like five and a half minutes..._ she thought sarcastically.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji burst into the mansion and he immediately made for the sitting room. Everyone sounded like they were there. " We need to leave now! Zoro, Franky, start getting all the food from the pantry! Everyone else needs to grab everything else, especially from the craft room!" Sanji was already making a beeline for Gene...No, Tamara's bedroom. She probably had things hidden away there that she would want to bring along.

" What's going on?" Robin asked.

Sanji didn't even know where to start. " There's no time to explain right now. Pirates are attacking the main square, but Tamara's got it handled right now."

" Tamara’s dead, Sanji. You told us that." Zoro replied. He was carrying four crates of food that they had already prepared to stow onto the ship.

Sanji shook his head. " Like I said, there's no time to explain things. But Tamara is alive, and the pirates that are attacking were sent by Magnus. She's supposed to be back here any second now." he retorted. A crash echoed from the foyer and a scream followed it. The fight had made it's way here to the mansion. " Dammit!"

" Genevieve! Get up!" came Chopper's cry.

Sanji's vision flared red. Who had hurt her?! Who the hell had dared to lay a hand or blade on Tamara?! Looking over the foyer from the second story, there was a large brute with a even bigger hammer advancing on Tamara's prone form. She was littered with cuts and scrapes, and her left leg was bent in an unnatural fashion. She was lying unconscious against the marble floor, and he could see a puddle of blood fanning out from her midsection. Someone had reopened the old, scarred wound on her side. Her wounds had been gained fairly though, as the pirate walking into the foyer was bleeding himself in quite a few places. " Diable Jambe!" Sanji bellowed as he came flying off of the landing. " Epaule Shoot!" His flames flared hot and bright as the kick connected and the man grunted as he was sent flying backwards. " Chopper! Get her out of here!"

" But Sanji!"

" No!" Tamara pushed herself to a standing position and she teetered a little as she put weight on her injured leg. " This bastard is mine!" She went to dash forward, but Sanji hurriedly grabbed her around her belly to keep her from reaching the man who was getting to his feet.

" You don't stand a chance, princess." the pirate sneered. His hammer swung menacingly like a pendulum. " Magnus is going to have your head for a trophy. And I'm going to be the one to give it to him."

Tamara broke free of Sanji grasp and she took to the air with a powerful jump. " The hell you will!" She screamed, twisting her body as she brought her good leg around for a powerful round house. Damn she had gotten fast! The pirate went flying to the right and Tamara took off again to land the killing blow. The hammer hit her hard in the ribs and Tamara was sent careening backwards towards the stairs.

Sanji had darted in at the same time, and he bellowed in rage as his foot came down on the fallen man's throat. Satisfied that this bastard wasn't getting up, Sanji looked over to where Tamara had landed on the staircase. Chopper was already looking her over and she winced as she held her ribs. " You alright?"

" That had the same amount of force behind one of the old fart's kicks." She groused and Sanji chuckled. Tamara grunted as Chopper set her broken fibula back into place and they splinted it for the time being. " I don't know how many more are left in town."

" We'll get them soon enough, we need to get to the ship." Sanji replied as he helped her to her feet. “ From there we need to talk.”

Tamara swallowed nervously. She was pretty sure the two of them were going to be yelling and screaming at one another for a couple of hours.

 

* * *

  
  
Everyone winced above deck. Despite the fact that Sanji and Tamara were behind closed doors; more specifically in the last spare bedroom now that Chopper had tended to Tamara’s wounds, the rest of the crew could easily hear the exchange between them.

“ So you were going to live a lie for the rest of your life?!” came Sanji’s voice. Hearing him this upset with a woman was something very foreign to both Nami and Robin. “ What about what we had, Tamara? Were you just going to let me believe that you were Genevieve Cygne for the rest of our lives?”

“ What does it matter? I was trying to give you closure, trying to help you heal so you could finally let me go. I only wanted you to be happy Sanji, even if it meant giving you up again. You have no idea how much I’ve been hurting for the last month because I knew what I was doing! I was going to tell you goodbye, Sanji. I wasn’t going to come along.” Tamara retorted. “ I’m not going to keep this up any more! GET OUT! I hope you enjoyed yourself last night because it’s the last fucking time I’ll allow you to touch me ever again!”

The ship lurched to the side violently and everyone looked around in surprise. Sanji came out a few minutes later rubbing his back.

“ What the hell just happened in there?” Zoro asked.

“ I got thrown out, quite literally. I don’t know when it happened, but she got a hell of a lot stronger than she used to be.” Sanji replied with a wince. Damn it, he had not handled himself well back there at all. Tamara had been right to throw him out on his ass. As pissed as he was that she had lied to him for the last month and a half, he was more happy and relieved to know she was alive. Surely she had to know that. Now it didn’t matter. He had been insensitive to how she had been hurting herself all this time and she probably assumed that he wanted nothing else to do with her.

Sanji wanted nothing more than to be holding her and kissing her right now. Damn it all, Tamara knew how badly he had missed her! He should have pieced it together so much sooner than this. He wasn’t quite paying attention until both Nami and Robin cleared their throats. Sanji looked up at both of them and his face paled. They were pissed, scarily so, and they looked very ready to kick some ass.

His ass more specifically.

“ You bastard.” Nami seethed. Her hand flew across his face, leaving a resounding welt in the shape of her hand on the left side of his face. She stormed off to the lower rooms, now that Franky had told her what upgrades he had made to the living areas, leaving Robin standing alone in front of Sanji.

“ I hope you realize you probably just broke her heart even worse than what she was planning to do to herself. I never thought I’d be this disappointed in you Sanji.” Robin hissed. Her disapproval stung worse than any blow she could land. After a moment, she stormed off as well, more than likely to the room Tamara was in, leaving Sanji standing on the deck with his eyes lowered towards the floor.

“ Shake it off, Sanji. Nami’s pretty pissed with me at the moment too.” Zoro said. He understood Sanji’s anger, and felt it a bit himself. He didn’t like the fact that Tamara had been lying to Sanji the entire time, much less that she allowed him to believe she was someone else entirely while they were romantically involved. “ Are we going to keep her here on the ship?” This question was asked towards Luffy as opposed to Sanji.

“ Yeah. Why not? She’s in danger for starters, and besides, I can ask her to work on something for me now that she’s stuck with us.” Luffy replied with a broad grin.

Sanji couldn’t take listening to another word of this. In a flash, he was halfway up the rigging heading towards the crow’s nest. He needed to let off some steam.

Now.

 

* * *

  
  
The sight Robin walked in on was heartbreaking to say the least. Nami was sitting on the bed with Tamara’s head in her lap and she was slowly running her fingers through the brunette’s short curls as she sobbed softly. “ Seis fleurs.” she whispered. “ Just relax Tamara.” Robin’s hands began kneading and rubbing away at the sore muscles of Tamara’s back and neck and the younger woman sighed a bit as it helped her calm down. Sanji had also forgotten to take into account how injured she was on top of the roller coaster she had to be feeling emotionally.

“ I’m not staying here on the boat with you guys. The minute we reach Sensenbor, I’ll be out of your hair.” Tamara sniffled. “ I never wanted it to come to this.”

“ Do you still love him?” Robin asked her pointedly. Tamara nodded meekly and a few more tears filled her eyes. “ Then why not try to smooth things over? Why put both of you through that kind of pain all over again?”

“ Because it wasn’t me he was falling in love with all over again.” Tamara’s eyes screwed shut as all the emotional turmoil she had been facing over the last month came to the fore all over again. The reason she had been crying herself to sleep every night was because of Sanji. For the fact that she couldn’t tell him the truth lest he hate her for it.  _Too late there._ she thought miserably. For the fact that she could see how in love with Genevieve Sanji was. For the fact that she still loved him, and that she was going to break it off with him. Again. “ I wanted to heal his heart, make him realize that he needed that kind of happiness again. I wasn’t expecting Magnus to make a move. Not after five years.” she whimpered. “ I’m not going to put you guys in that kind of danger. I know you all have bounties on your heads, but…”

“ Don’t even think of trying to warn us off of your country’s problems. You’re not the only royal we’ve helped either.” Nami said with a smirk. “ You remember hearing about the uprising in Alabasta?”

“ Yeah, the paper’s said some navy hotshot took down one of the seven warlords. I didn’t believe it however. They’re all nothing but mindless toads in my estimation.” Tamara hissed. She really couldn’t stand the navy. They’d extradite her back to Denebra if they caught her.

“ Luffy’s the one who kicked his ass.” Nami said proudly. “ We all had a hand to play in that one. Sanji especially.” Her fingers were still smoothing through Tamara’s hair and Nami felt Tamara sigh a little. “ Robin’s right though. If you still love him, why not see if you guys can work it out? If I know Sanji as well as I do, he’s more than likely just reeling because you’re alive…”

“ Just drop it Nami.” Tamara tensed all over again and Robin scowled. She had been working out all that tension for the last fifteen minutes. “ I don’t even want to think about him right now. You weren’t the one who had to look in his eyes as he went on a tirade. There was no love there, Nami. Only regret.” Tamara’s shoulders shook as she began crying all over again.

“ Let me take over from here, Nami.” Robin said softly. “ I don’t think things are going to smooth over that easily.”

Nami wordlessly moved from the bed and Robin eased Tamara into her arms. Her broken cries were tearing at Nami’s heart fiercely and the redhead exited the room silently. A few tears trickled down her cheeks as she slumped against the door. “ This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t intervened.” she said softly.

 

* * *

 

Tamara was absent from the dinner table that evening and the mood was fairly somber. Sanji’s gaze kept moving over to the empty seat and he’d sigh every time he looked at it. It was obvious to everyone else that he wanted to go check on her, but after the fight they had gotten into, Sanji knew Tamara needed her space.

“ Chopper, can you take this down to her so that she eats? She’ll listen to you because you’re a doctor. She’ll probably throw it in my face if I were to try to take it to her.” Sanji said once the table had cleared for the most part.

Chopper nodded worriedly. “ I need to check on her bandages anyways. They’re probably due for changing.”

Sanji stiffened. How had he forgotten about all the injuries Tamara had sustained from the pirates she had fought off today? Her leg had been broken, her old would had been reopened, and she probably had a couple of broken ribs from the force that she had been hit with by that mallet. And she still threw him out of her room hard enough to rock the boat? He was lucky that she hadn’t sent him through the wall.

Getting into it with him was the last thing she had needed on top of everything else. Everything she had worked toward in the last five years, trying to rebuild her life from the ground up, had been abolished in one single day. Why hadn’t she come to him sooner though? Why hadn’t she told him the truth?

_“ I was dead to you!”_  Her words from earlier echoed in his mind hauntingly. Yes, Sanji had believed Tamara to be dead for years. He had believed that she died when the wreckage of her father’s ship had been found. Had Magnus believed her for dead? What if he knew she was alive all this time, but…

Sanji’s eyes widened in understanding. Magnus. He was the cause of the problem to begin with! Tamara had been found by the navy. What if they were returning her to Denebra and she had somehow escaped? Magnus had to know she was alive after all this time, hence why Tamara wouldn’t have come to him or back to Baratie. She had sacrificed everything to keep them alive after all. How had he found out about her though? The pirates had attacked Harrod’s, so they knew where she was working.

Nami was sniffling a little as she walked into the kitchen with a tea kettle in hand.

“ Nami?” Sanji asked her carefully. “ How did you know about Harrod’s by chance?”

“ There was an article in the paper on the shop, especially after Tamara managed to please the hell out of a high ranking navy general’s wife with her custom evening gown.” Her brown eyes were sad beyond belief. “ Tamara really was the most up and coming seamstress on the Grand line...And now she’s lost everything. Including you...” Nami turned to face him and her gaze hardened. “ I still think you’re an ass." She had the urge to slap him all over again, but that would be over kill.

Throwing the piping hot tea kettle would be over kill too. Nami wasn't in any mood to try to justify any actions, and she had some pretty violent ones in mind, made on her friend's behalf. Tamara had needed understanding, had needed someone to tell her everything was going to be alright. Sanji had a right to be upset, there was no doubt about that, but he had completely lost his temper with her. Instead, Nami did the safest possible thing and left.

Sanji groaned once Nami cleared the kitchen. Yeah, he had certainly earned the ire of the female portion of the crew. Both he and Tamara needed time to simmer down though. It would be useless to try to approach her for a few days. Sanji only hoped Tamara would be willing to talk.


	4. Rekindling the Flames

" Tamara..."

Tamara's eyebrow twitched a little. Luffy had been pestering her for the better part of the last hour while she was working. If he kept it up, she was going to sew the captain's lips shut. Still, Tamara kept on sewing. She was in the midst of trying to patch Usopp's carryall. One of his fire shots had accidentally exploded inside of it and the hole that had been left was sizable to say the least.

The rest of the crew on deck was watching and waiting. Even Sanji was looking on with an amused stare. He knew it wouldn't be long before she finally reached her limit. He nudged Zoro to watch as well and the swordsman turned curiously.

" She's gonna hit him..." Zoro whispered with a chuckle. His ire towards the young woman had lessened since Nami had explained the reasoning behind Tamara’s actions.

" I'm almost counting on it." Sanji chortled softly in turn. He had yet to approach her, as both Robin and Nami were almost always with her. At least she had started taking meals with them in the dining room. That had taken three weeks however. Sanji knew they needed to talk about everything else, but he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

What if she didn’t love him any more?

Sanji quickly shook his head. That couldn’t be the case. The only reason Tamara would even put her own heart on the line to help heal his own was because she still loved him. That beautiful, maddening woman...

" Maaaaaahhhhhrrrrrraaaaaahhhhh...." Luffy said, the mirth he was feeling evident in his voice.

" What?!" Tamara snapped, throwing her project down into her lap. She turned towards Luffy, all the while bringing her leg up to kick him senseless and she stopped short when she saw his face. She knew he had eaten the GumGum fruit, and had seen him stretch to great lengths. But he had made the most ridiculous face while pestering her.

Luffy had his cheeks stretched out to unimaginable lengths and his eyes were crossed. He also had a pair of chopsticks hanging out of his nose and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth.

Again, he looked ridiculous.

Tamara was stunned still as she continued to have a stare down with Luffy, though her leg had finally come down to rest against the grass again. Then a small snort escaped her, which led to giggles. Before long, everyone was laughing along with her. " That's what you've been pestering me for for the better part of the last hour?" Tamara giggled as she leaned back to resume her project.

" You had such a sour look on your face. I thought you could use the laugh." Luffy replied as he put both hand behind his head. He made it sound as if it made all the sense in the world.

Tamara shook her head. The only reason she had a sour look on her face was because she couldn't get a moment's peace while she was sewing. Everyone had been asking her for something the last couple of days, with the exception of Sanji. He knew better than to approach her while she was busy. Then again, they hadn’t spoken since they had their blowout earlier that month either. She had been avoiding him at all costs. " Thank you. I did need that." She replied with a smile on her face. It had been a long time since she was able to go at such a leisurely pace like this. She was actually almost done with the patch itself, but she wanted to give it an extra touch.

" What happened five years ago?" Luffy asked as if it was the most normal thing he could say. " When you left the restaurant I mean. Sanji told us that you thought you were going to die."

Tamara paused and everyone went on point. Even Sanji hadn't heard the whole story, but he was aware that was when she had received the scars she bore. It was going to come out sooner or later. Besides, Sanji deserved to know the truth of what happened. " I honestly thought I was a goner for a little while." She said softly.

  

Five years ago:

Tamara looked down at Sanji's sleeping form and she wiped her tears away. " I love you. I'll always love you." She whispered brokenly as she nuzzled his hair. Tamara stood straight and she placed the letter she had written to him on her pillow, and she pulled her engagement ring away as well. That alone took all of her strength. It was the one thing she didn't want to do. Setting that on top of her last missive, Tamara silently exited their room and made her way stealthily down the steps towards the deck. With tears still streaming down her cheeks, she removed the mooring lines and cast the Golden Swan away from Baratie. Once she had a northern heading, she watched with a heavy heart as Baratie disappeared from view on the horizon.

 _I'll never forgive myself for this...._ Tamara thought to herself. She knew she was throwing away her one shot at happiness, the one chance she had at leading a normal life. Nothing would ever be normal for her though. She was a the heir to her kingdom, and Magnus would hunt her no matter where she fled.

It was a three week trip back to Denebra, and Tamara landed on her native shores feeling empty. Her family was gone. She was all that remained. Soon, she would probably join her parents in the afterlife. She didn’t bother grabbing anything off the boat as she jumped to the deck. The only thing she needed was in the palace and that’s where she was headed at that very moment.

Despite having been gone for the last few months, Tamara was like a specter moving through the castle halls. No one saw her if she didn’t want them to. Pausing briefly to grab her saber, Tamara strode strongly for the throne room now. She wasn’t going to wait another minute more. Her eyes narrowed as she looked upon the closed double doors. Time to make an entrance. “ Mouton Shot.” She hissed under her breath, imagining that it was Magnus’ ribcage about to be under her heel. She brought her foot up and her leg extended faster than a man could blink, her foot hitting the doors so hard that one was sent flying off its hinges.

“ MAGNUS!” Tamara bellowed. Her blue eyes were full of righteous fury. “ On your feet you bastard! Draw your sword!”

A snide, menacing cackle sent shivers down her back. “ So, the girl showed. I was worried I was going to have to hunt you down after all, niece.” came Magnus’ coo. He was draped over the denebran throne and he popped to his feet as if he were getting ready to play a game. To Tamara, it was only a game of how long she could survive. “ Would you like me to tell you in detail exactly how I murdered your parents and how I was able to pin everything on the pirates that were here? None of them lived of course, as it was their word against mine. They were all hanged the next morning.” Magnus cackled gaily once more and he pulled his sword from his hip. “ No? Ah well. I guess Marion and Percy can tell you themselves when I send you to see them.” His voice had lost its playful tone and a deep, sinister growl had replaced it. “ Goodbye Tamara. Say hello to Aden for me.”

Magnus darted in and Tamara parried instantly, her sharp eyes following his every movement.

 _He doesn’t know about the Black Leg technique...He won’t know how to counter either._  Tamara thought to herself. Not only that, she had successfully combined it with her swordwork. She spun to dodge another thrust, and Tamara’s eyes narrowed. “ Collier Shoot!” Her foot connected with Magnus’ neck and she sent the man staggering back almost a meter. She launched her own offensive, her blade clanging and feet flying, and she smirked. She knew he was ambidextrous and that he would attempt to switch his hands soon for his blade. With a hair raising battle cry, Tamara brought her saber down in an arc and Magnus screamed in agony. She had just cleaved his arm off at the elbow.

“ You insolent little bitch!” Magnus seethed, his cold grey eyes wild with fury now. He stabbed his blade into the marble and he held his hand out. “ You’re going to die a very slow, and painful death for that Tamara.”

Tamara suddenly felt pressure bearing down on her as if gravity had just shifted. What in the hell? Then her eyes widened.  _Magnus can’t stand the sea..._ Her father’s words echoed ominously over and over in her mind.

He had eaten a Devil Fruit.

“ Do you feel that? I’ve changed the weight of your clothing, your sword, even your hair to be five times heavier than you’re used to it being. Quite frankly I’m surprised you’re still standing. Shall we see how much more weight you can bear? Here we go. Twenty kilos.” Magnus hissed.

Tamara still took a step towards him. Her legs were stronger than that. This was like a workout for her.  _That’s right, it’s just a workout Tamara..._ she thought, though she was desperately trying to hold onto her sword. It was heavier than she could almost stand.

“ Fifty kilos.”

Tamara cried out a bit though she was able to get right in front of him. She hauled her saber up with both hands, her muscles screaming and tearing in protest from too much weight and she swung with all her might. Her blade sliced into his chest and Magnus howled at the pain. She had almost killed him there.

“ One hundred kilos!” he bellowed. He smiled ferally as Tamara screamed in agony. He had heard a few of her bones snap from the pressure bearing down on her. “ How does it feel to have every bone in your body slowly cracking, slowly breaking from absolutely no physical trauma whatsoever?”

“ Go to hell, mother fucker.” Tamara spat. She attempted to raise her blade once more and Magnus stomped down on her forearm. Both her radius and ulna snapped from the force. She screamed brokenly as her saber clattered to the ground.

“ Before you try to do anything more with this…” Magnus purred insanely. “ Five hundred kilo stomp!” He brought his foot down against the flat of Tamara’s sword and it broke into four pieces.

“ NO!” Tamara screeched. She hadn't shed any tears from any of the injuries she had sustained yet, but they flooded her eyes the minute her blade was shattered.

" Such a pity that beauty like yours has to be wasted. You would have been a gorgeous queen if I hadn't usurped the throne from my so called brother." Magnus' face twisted with morbid glee as he took one of the shards of Tamara’s blade and he dug the tip into her skin. " You're lucky I even agreed to your terms, Tamara. That I allowed everyone on that stupid little restaurant that you adored so much to live. I can't help but wonder how that boy is going to feel when he hears the news of your death." He pulled the shard down slowly, savoring every moment as her skin split and blood flowed.

" Think of how he'll feel when I gut you." Tamara shot back. She pulled her left hand up and she snatched the broken blade from Magnus's hand. " An eye for an eye, bastard!" And with that, she shoved the metal into his face.

Magnus howled brokenly as he was suddenly blinded and he wrenched the metal out from his eye socket. Blood and ooze were dripping down his face. He snarled as he pulled his sword from the ground and he stabbed Tamara’s prone form just under her ribs. " You're going to be the one gutted, you little whore." he raged. He pulled the blade hard and Tamara shuddered in shock. She could feel blood pouring from the heinous wound.

 _I'm going to die...but at least I did something...Sanji..._ Tamara could almost see his smiling face right now, his golden locks were shining in the afternoon sun. " San...ji..." she whimpered tearfully.

 _" Sleep Tamara...I'll still be here when you wake up. I love you."_ the apparition said sweetly. His touch was so warm, Tamara felt him smooth over her face. The left side was screaming in pain. Her entire body was screaming in pain.

Without warning, gunshots rang out and Magnus was forced to back away from the princess' still body. Tamara gasped as the pressure of Magnus' powers suddenly alleviated.  _He's more than a meter from me..._ she thought, though her vision was getting hazy.

" GET THE PRINCESS! I'LL GRAB THE BLADE! YOU THREE, COVER US!" came a man's voice. Why did it sound so familiar?

" NO! I KILLED YOU!" Magnus screeched.

Then Tamara knew no more.

  
Present Day:  
  
Everyone was silent. No one knew what to say or do after hearing how close to death Tamara had been.

" I woke up on the Golden Swan when it was being attacked by pirates. The crew put me into a dingy and sent me adrift on the sea and from there I was found by the navy. I still don't know to this day how I survived, but I count my lucky stars that I did. I don't know who it was that rescued me from Magnus either, and I don't know if I'll ever find out. Whoever it was though had treated my wounds and had set all my breaks and fractures. The massive wound Magnus had given me had been stitched to the best of their ability, though they didn't have the time for this one." Tamara’s hand came to cover the left side of her face and Sanji scowled. She still saw those scars as something ugly.

" I do know this much. Magnus consumed a devil fruit that allows him to adjust the weight of anything in a one meter vicinity. I'm not certain what the limit is however, so I'm going to assume it must be in the range of at least ten thousand kilos. While I've been training, I'm nowhere near where I should be after five years. Recovery took too long." Tamara rubbed her right arm to sooth the tightness she suddenly felt there. She still remembered how it felt to feel each of her bones snapping one by one.

" Did they honestly throw you in the brig?" Sanji asked her. It was the first he had spoken to her all month. He was trying to figure out how much truth was in her story from her birthday. If he ever found out who it was, Sanji was going to kill them. Plain and simple. How dare they treat her like that!

Tamara scowled as she nodded. " They were going to turn me over to the world government, have me extradited back to Denebra. I’m sure you all know by now that he managed to pin the whole fiasco on me. Magnus has known for years that I'm still alive. It was only thanks to a sympathetic marine, well he was disguised as a marine at least, that I was able to make my escape. He took me to the Kamabakka Kingdom until my serious wounds healed, Romoria from there and the rest is history. So like I told you before Sanji. I hold no love for the navy and it's marines."

Luffy had a dark look on his face as he thought over the story. If her uncle hadn’t done any of that, his friends would still be happy with one another. " He's put you through a lot of pain, both you and Sanji..." he said. He looked between the chef and the seamstress and he put a supportive hand on Tamara’s shoulder. Hopefully one day they would be happy again. " Just say the word and we'll head off the Grand Line and back to your kingdom. From there, I'll kick Magnus' ass."

 _If I don't get to him first, you mean._  Sanji thought darkly. He had five years of karma to deliver onto that bastard for hurting Tamara as much as he had.

Tamara shook her head. " He's mine, Luffy, though I thank you. It might come to a point where I will need help however. I'm not going to deny that I won't. I don't know how long it'll take us from here." Tamara got to her feet and she walked up the stairs towards the workrooms. She wanted to do some serious sewing right now to get her mind off of things. " I'm fine for now, honestly. Besides, I'm a bit overdue for some adventure anyway. Let's keep sailing the Grand Line and I'll need to get stronger still." Her eyes locked to Sanji's as she said this. It was her way of telling him that he had better not interfere.

Sanji raised his hands up in surrender, though he was glad that their first conversation in days had not ended in another argument. It was her legacy that she needed to bring honor to, and he accepted that. He was in her corner one hundred percent. The only thing that remained to be seen was how much training she had done in the last five years. She had said her recovery had taken too long, and Sanji was curious. Tamara was definitely stronger and faster than he remembered her being.

Deadlier too.

“ Tamara...” Sanji called out from the second level. He saw her pause briefly and he took a deep breath. “ Can I talk to you? Alone?” he asked. He needed to talk this out with her, they both needed to drop the tension that had been surrounding them for the last week alone. Despite her attempts at avoiding him, Tamara and Sanji had been given watch together for most of the week. If Sanji didn't know any better, the rest of the crew was trying to push them back together.

“ I don’t want to talk to you right now Sanji.” Tamara replied. She stormed off down to her craft room and Sanji swore under his breath.  

“ After the way you treated her earlier this month, were you honestly expecting anything else?” came Nami’s cold voice.

“ I don’t mean to be rude Nami, but this issue between Tamara and I is no longer any of your business. I’m glad that she has you and Robin as friends, don’t mistake that. Her and I need to sort out this riff on our own, and you’re not helping matters.” Sanji shot back. It was the first time he had ever been cross with her, and it shocked the hell out of Nami.

Sanji went into the kitchen without waiting for a reply, though he was expecting Zoro to say something in his bride’s defense. Surprisingly, the swordsman didn’t. Those thoughts were the furthest thing from his mind as he began pulling a multitude of bowls from the cabinet. For once, he was pretty sure what he could do to get back on Tamara’s good side. First things first, he began checking over the pantry. Cocoa? Check. Plenty of sugar? Check. Flour, baking soda, eggs, butter, milk, and...Aha! Strawberries! All check. Sanji rolled up his sleeves as a smile crossed over his face. There was a way back into Tamara’s heart, Sanji knew it.

And in her case, food was definitely the answer.

 

* * *

 

Tamara had her radio snail perched on the shelf as she thought over what she needed to make. Her bed was a little too stiff for her liking, so a pillowtop would be nice. Then again, what about the men’s quarters? Franky had mentioned that he only had enough time to put in a few bedrooms, for the girls for the most part, but the men still had their racks that they had to contend with. She had seen them once over the last month. Hard, wooden hammocks.

She tapped her lower lip and an idea struck her. She needed to sneak into the boy’s room somehow and get the measurements on it. How was she going to pull something like that off? Tamara was pulled from her thoughts as a soft knock echoed from the door and she looked curiously at it. She knew Nami was heading up to the library to work on her map, and Robin was getting some reading done as well. The two had wanted to give her a little space today considering they had been beside her all week. So who was at the door?

Tamara stood and crossed the room, her heart hammering a little. She didn’t know what to do if it was Sanji and he still wanted to attempt to talk things out.  She pulled open the door, but no one was standing there. Tamara thought she saw someone round the corner, but her gaze was captured by something else.

That bastard…He didn’t...Oh sweet lord, he didn’t!

Tamara bent down to pick up the torte that was sitting in front of her sewing room. A chocolate caramel torte more specifically, topped with glazed strawberries. She eyes dilated from the scent alone. It was fresh, the plate was still a bit warm.

Damn that blonde, leggy bastard and his delicious desserts. He had come up with this one for her thirteenth birthday when he had figured out why she was in such a bad mood for a week straight. The chocolate had done wonders to cool her ire then. Tamara lifted the fork and took a bite. Immediately her knees buckled. She hadn’t had this in years and only Sanji knew the recipe. Despite her desperate pleas, he had never given it to her.

Okay, maybe Tamara wouldn’t be so quick to turn him away if Sanji wanted to talk again. First she was going to eat this torte. Second, she needed Nami and Robin to cause a distraction today and tomorrow while she took care of those bunks. If her bed was uncomfortable, the boys must be having it all the more worse.

Sanji was smiling triumphantly as he watched Tamara carry the torte back into her sewing room. She was going to inhale it, he was sure. He was reasonably sure he knew why she was as edgy as she had been the last week, and Sanji had found out from Zoro that Nami was going through the same thing.

Women and their chocolate, he mused with a chuckle.

Sanji turned to head back up to deck when he heard the door open once more. Damn that had been fast! Tamara was leaving her room that quickly? Oh shit! She was headed this way too! Sanji hurriedly hid himself inside a niche and Tamara strode past as if on a mission. She had her tape measure in hand as well. Sanji’s brow quirked a bit in curiosity. What was she up to now? The door leading to the deck opened and closed and Sanji counted to ten just to be on the safe side. He knew Tamara was keen on avoiding him at the moment.  _With as much of an asshole as I was this month, I don’t blame her._  he thought morosely. Sanji slowly extricated himself from his hiding spot and he began making his way towards the hatch as well. He still needed to get supper going for that matter.

 

* * *

  
  
Tamara wasn’t present that night at the table and Sanji’s brow furrowed. Okay, that was it. He was taking a plate down to her and he was going to make sure she ate this time, damn it! Sanji was tempted to have Luffy make it a rule that no one missed meals period!

No one said a word to the chef as he made his way down to the craft room. They all knew why he was heading down and unbeknownst to Tamara and Sanji, Luffy had told the rest of the crew to stop interfering. It wasn’t going to help them work things out, but instead cause a divide amongst the crew.

Sanji knocked hard on the door. He could hear the machine running from out here, though Tamara had her radio snail blaring as well. His foot started tapping to the beat. Damn, he needed to keep his mood if he was going to give Tamara a piece of his mind! He knocked again, much harder and louder this time, and he heard Tamara start singing along with the song that was playing. So she was ignoring him now? That was it. Sanji turned the knob and he pushed the door open.

Tamara shoved the door closed not even a second later. “ I didn’t tell you to enter, Sanji.” She called out over the din.

“ You need to eat supper dammit! I’m not going to let you keep skipping meals like this! At least let me put the damn plates down and I’ll leave!” Sanji retorted as he pushed harder against the door. He had better not drop the food.

Tamara smirked behind the door. She was barely even touching her heel to it. It felt good to know that all the training she had been doing in secret was helping. Without warning, she lurched forward. Shit! Sanji must be using his own leg to push against the door! Tamara kicked the door closed again, and she heard Sanji swear.

“ Damn! Tamara! I’m sorry, alright! I was an asshole, I’ll admit it! How was I supposed to feel though? I had been mourning you for five years, you witnessed that first hand! To be honest, I had a hunch you were lying the entire time, but I didn't want to believe it. I don't even think you realized you were dropping hints either." Sanji shot back.

Tamara stiffened as she turned the snail down. How had she been dropping hints?

" The first clue was your grandmother's maiden name. Genevieve Aurelie Cygne. That was her name until she married Torbin Leonias. She's where you get your love of sewing from. Then the makeup on your arm. Clever thought there, covering your scar, but I saw the makeup when it came away on my hand that night. You also started using your left hand more around me, though I don't think you realized you were doing it." He took a deep steadying breath in and Sanji shifted the plates a bit to redistribute their weight. " I know why you did what you did...Magnus knew you were alive and you didn't want to put me in undue danger again. I wish I could take back everything I said that night, Tamara, and save you the heartache I know you're feeling. That both of us are feeling. Tamara, please let me in. I promise I'll just leave the plates and head back up. I'm sorry, more than you'll ever realize, that I caused you this much pain." Sanji's voice was barely a whisper and he heard Tamara unlatch the door.

There were tears in her eyes. Tears that he had caused.

Now Sanji really felt like shit.

Sanji placed the food down on her cutting table and he began making his way to the door again. He had made a promise after all.

" Sanji. Wait." Tamara said softly. Her hands grabbed his and she effortlessly pulled him back to her. " I'm sorry too...I just didn't know how to tell you. I almost panicked when Nami said your name for the first time and then I realized it was you on that pirate ship. I wasn't sure if I should even let myself as close to you as I became, but I couldn't help myself. I still loved you so much, and the thought that I had to let you go all over again..." Tamara began sobbing and Sanji wrapped his arms around her tightly.

" Don't leave." he whispered against her hair. " I know you well enough to know that you're planning on cutting out once we dock at Sensenbor. Don't leave me wondering if you're going to be caught again or if you die. I can't take that again." A few tears fell against Tamara’s hair and he felt her look up at him. " I don't know if I can handle it this time."

Tamara’s head hung low. " I'm not going to stay where I'm not wanted Sanji." She said lowly.

Sanji felt anger bloom in his chest. " Who the hell told you that? I swear if it was that moss headed swordsman, I'm going to gut him!" He seethed.

Tamara shook her head, though she was surprised he was still willing to jump to her defense so quickly. " Sanji, no one said it directly to me. I lied to all of you, most of all to you. How can any of you want to keep me around after that?" Shame, loathing, pain. All were evident as she spoke. Had she been beating herself up for this all this time, Sanji wondered.

" Tamara. Look at me." Sanji said. He tilted her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. " We as a crew have had our own internal struggles. We thought that Robin betrayed us a few years back, when in all actuality she was giving herself up in exchange for us, our lives...That was around the same time that we laid our first ship, the Going Merry, to rest. Usopp left as well for a while after getting into it with Luffy about the Going Merry. There was a time when we had thought that Nami even betrayed us just after I was brought onto the crew.  We're more than just shipmates, we're a family here. You were forgiven a long time ago for that, even by me. Don't think so little of yourself. You housed us without so much as a second thought, even though it meant that you lost everything all over again. You kept us safe from the Navy as well. You're funny, you bring so much more to our crew than you think you do. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us."

Tamara gave Sanji a tearful smile even as he brushed them away. " You honestly have no clue how much that means to me." She whispered. She went to continue when Sanji pressed a gentle finger to her lips. He knew her well enough to know what she was going to say next.

Sanji didn't have to say anything else. Instead, he dipped his head lower and pressed a soft, gentle kiss against her lips. Tamara melted against him at the contact and she sighed as his tongue tapped her lower lip, asking her for entrance. She granted it, and Sanji groaned delightedly into her mouth. He could still taste a hint of the chocolate, caramel, and the strawberries that she had eaten a few hours ago. Sanji felt as if he could keep tasting her all night long. Tamara’s hands wound into his short blonde locks and her tongue began dueling with his more fervently the longer Sanji kept kissing her.

They broke apart, both of them gasping for air and Tamara’s cerulean orbs locked onto Sanji's steel blue ones. They had darkened in their shared passion. A slow, seductive smirk spread over Tamara’s face.

" My room, now." she ordered.

Sanji's brow quirked. " I still need to get the dishes from dinner done and you need to eat." he retorted. " Don't tell me the food can wait. I know your appetite Tamara. That much hasn't changed in five years. This can be postponed a few hours, especially seeing as how both of us still have watch tonight."

Tamara’s face scrunched a bit in her ire. She had forgotten they had the two to four shift. Damn Luffy and Usopp. They were the ones who came up with that schedule. If she ever got her hands on them she was going to throttle the two. Either that or kiss them, as the forced time together had helped to mend the rift between Tamara and Sanji after all. " Fine." she groaned in acquiesce. It was clear that she did not want to stop now, and her crafting room was hardly the place to be doing something like that.

Sanji looked at the door a moment. " Do you think anyone's going to come down anytime soon?"

" I think they're expecting the two of us to duke it out verbally again to be honest. I doubt either Usopp or Franky are even down this way right now in their own workshops." Tamara replied. She then blushed brightly when she realized what Sanji was getting at. " No sir. This room is my destressing zone. I won't be able to get an iota of work done if we do anything remotely sexual in here Sanji."

Sanji had that all too familiar gleam in his eyes as he cornered Tamara against her drafting table. " You realize that just makes it even more tempting, right?" he asked with that same smirk in place. " But if you honestly don't want us doing anything in here, that's fine. It's like your little sanctuary in here. I can respect that." He eased away from Tamara and she gave him a soft smile. Yep, he had definitely earned some brownie points there.

" Thank you." she said honestly. " Out. I'll eat and bring my dishes up. Once you're done with your dishes in the kitchen, just go right to my room. If Nami or Robin try to give you any grief, tell them that you and I are going to be talking over things tonight before we take our watch. We're actually going to be taking a nap, and don't get any ideas about having a quickie either. Did you forget what I told you last month?" There was a devilish smirk on her face and Sanji thought it over.

Then his brow furrowed at the challenge. Tamara had told him last month that he was never touching her again. Oh Sanji was going to make her pay for that one...

And Tamara was going to be begging him to touch her by the time Sanji was through with her.

 

* * *

  
  
Robin heard the door leading to the lower levels open and she looked toward it. Sanji was striding out with a contemplative look on his face. He had taken a while taking the food down to Tamara. Maybe the two had argued a little more? No, Sanji would be covered in Tamara’s supper if that were the case. Had the two managed to talk a little bit at least then, try to sort out where it was they stood? Sanji made a beeline for the kitchen, and Robin sighed. If he was that gung ho on getting started on the dishes that meant that one of two things. Either the two had fought again and it had been after Sanji had put the plates down, or the two were planning on sitting down and talking later and it had him nervous. Robin hoped it was the latter more than the former.

She had no clue there was a third option, and that Sanji was currently thinking of everything he was going to need later that night. Nami and Zoro had a room like Tamara’s and Robin’s and Franky had done a wonderful job in making sure that they were mostly sound proof, which reduced the noise the two of them made. No one was going to be hearing Tamara unless she was screaming herself hoarse. Sanji didn't plan to take it that far at all. In fact, he needed to grab quite a few things from his locker before Tamara came back up top.

Sanji hadn't had a chance to break out his goody bag in a long, long time.

 

* * *

  
  
Tamara was smiling to herself. Not only had she completed her pillow topper for her bed, Tamara had managed to complete three out of the six linings needed for the wooden hammocks and the boys could count on finding that they would sleep much easier with them. They had just perfect amount of softness to them, and they were made from a moisture wicking fabric meaning that they wouldn't get too hot or too cold. The hammocks would stay at the perfect temperature all night. Plus this greatly reduced their chances of getting any splinters. Now all she needed was to finish the rest of them and then find an opening to get them installed. Tamara knew she was going to need a hell of a distraction if that were the case if she still wanted to surprise them with it..

With a soft sigh, Tamara stood and she exited her workshop with the topper folded neatly in her arms. She was practically purring at the softness she felt. She saw Sanji leaning against her door and looked at him curiously.  _I thought I told him to wait inside for me._  Tamara thought to herself. With a slight shrug, she kept on approaching and Sanji wordlessly took the topper from her.

" Did you want to wait until later to put this on?" he asked her.

" Might as well. I might not want to get out of bed otherwise." Tamara said with a small laugh. Sanji chortled himself as Tamara led the way into her room and the door was shut behind them.  
  
Up top, Robin was smiling softly to herself. It looked like they were going to be talking things out. Thank goodness. " I don't think we're going to have to worry about those two any more Luffy." she said as she looked to her right.

" Good. I don't like seeing either of them so miserable. Do you think it'll take them long before they picked up where they left off?" the young captain asked. He was leaning over the window sill looking out over the ocean contemplatively.

" I'm not sure Luffy. That's between Sanji and Tamara, though I'm sure that they've caught on to the fact that you and Usopp have been scheduling them for watch together without fail for the last week. You're not being subtle you realize. Once or twice can be brushed off as rotation, but a week straight?" Robin laughed. " It screams set up."

Luffy shrugged even as he grinned. " Does it look like I care?" he asked.

Robin laughed loudly again. " No, I know you don't." she replied.

 

* * *

  
  
Tamara felt Sanji's lips press a gentle kiss into the back of her neck. " I thought I said not to even think about it." she groaned.

" You should know me better than that, Tamara." Sanji growled seductively in her ear. His hands came around front and he slid them under her shirt even as he drew it away. " I'm not going to touch you in a sexual manner, though I can promise that by the time I'm done with you, you will be begging me to."

Tamara’s breath hitched in her throat and her heart began racing. Her knickers were already soaked just from the tone of his voice. Sanji pulled her shirt away, and Tamara gasped prettily as the cool air hit her fevered skin, forcing her nipples to pucker instantly.

" Do you trust me Tamara?" Sanji's voice was sinful as he spoke to her in delectably husky whispers. Tamara could feel his breath fanning against her ear even though he wasn't touching her with his lips any longer. He raised a red silken handkerchief up to eye level and Tamara’s eyes fell on it. " I'm going to blindfold you with this, and your hands will be bound to the headboard with these." He lifted a pair of padded cuffs and Tamara whimpered even as she felt another gush coat her panties and her thighs. " We don't have to do this either. Just tell me no right now and I'll put them away and then we'll take a nap before watch tonight."

Tamara couldn't find her voice. Could she honestly tell Sanji that she was interested in what he was proposing? What was he going to do to her? Did she honestly trust him that much?

Yes.

Tamara took the handkerchief and she covered her eyes herself to where she was sure she couldn't see anything. This was a hell of a kink that Sanji had picked up in the last five years, but she wasn't going to complain. Tamara had always wondered what being completely at someone else's mercy, in a setting like this at least, would be like. If it had been anyone but Sanji, Tamara would have said no instantly. She knew for a fact that Sanji wasn't going to hurt her at all. Another man could have easily used this as an opportunity to really hurt her, to do absolutely anything that they wanted and Tamara would be helpless to stop them.

" Take your pants off please." Sanji's voice was away from her now, more than likely he was setting the cuffs up on the bed.

Tamara did as he asked, suddenly aware of his gaze on her naked back. He was watching her very intently, she could feel it. Tamara’s finger's deftly undid her jeans, and she pulled the zipper away agonizingly slow. She could hear the click of each tooth as they were separated. She couldn't hold back her gasp as she smoothed the denim away from her hips and down her long, lean legs. They had always been sensitive to the touch.

" Can you get to the bed?" Sanji asked her. For the first time in a long time, he had swept his hair back. Both eyes glittered as he circled Tamara. She was so damn beautiful like this, and Sanji intended to show her that tonight. He still hadn't forgotten about how she had referred to her scars as ugly. To him they were beautiful, just like her.

Those scars were a testament to Tamara’s will to live, to come back and fight another day. They were proof of her fire, the sense of justice that burned in her heart to avenge her family. Sanji was going to let her know in no uncertain terms that he never wanted any part of her to feel ugly ever again.

" No, can you guide me to where you need me?" Tamara replied. She felt Sanji's fingers lift her forearms as if they were delicate and he turned her slowly so as to not disorientate her too badly.

" Lift your legs up at the knees, you're by the edge." Sanji whispered gently, though his voice had not lost an ounce of that sinful tone he had been using. He ushered her by her hands to the headboard and Sanji climbed into the bed behind her. " Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Tamara nodded slowly. " If anyone else had asked, I would have told them no, Sanji. I've known you for most of my life. I know you won't hurt me. I won't deny I'm curious as to what you're up to though."

" You'll see." Sanji purred as he tightened the cuffs around Tamara’s wrists only tight enough to keep her restrained. He didn't want her bruised after all. He eased Tamara to lie flat on her stomach and he put a pillow over her forearms so that she would be comfortable. Thank goodness he had set that rope up ahead of time.

Then he pulled away from her, leaving her bereft of his body heat and Tamara gasped at the chill the air imparted. Who would have thought that just taking her sight away would magnify her others senses this quickly or acutely. She heard the slightest rustle of clothing, but not the delicate  _tink tink_  of Sanji loosening his belt. He must be removing his shirt for now. She heard something else, a quick pop of some sort. What the hell had he opened?

Sanji's weight dipped the bed and Tamara felt him straddle her legs and hips, though only the fabric of his trousers was touching her. He was being careful not to touch her otherwise.

Without warning, something cold landed on her back, right on her spine, and Tamara arched upwards with a slight scream. " Holy shit that's cold!" she cried, only to have herself quieted the minute Sanji's warm, strong hands descended on her back. His fingers were rubbing the lotion where he wanted it, the deft digits expertly kneading into the muscles of her back. Tamara keened in pleasure. She hadn't realized how tense she was from sitting at her sewing machine for so long. As Sanji had told her, he hadn't even touched her even remotely sexually. Her skin tingled pleasurably the longer Sanji rubbed her back. " And you bound me and blindfolded me for this?"

Sanji smirked above her. " No. Tamara, I bound your hands because I don't want anything to deter me. You're blindfolded so that you won't know..." Sanji paused as he ran a teasing finger up the back of her calf and Tamara cried out at the unexpected sensation. "...where I'm going to touch you next. I'm going to worship your body until you can't stand it."

" Worship?" Tamara squeaked out. He had barely touched her and Tamara wanted him to pin her to the mattress!

" You're beautiful. Every single part of you." Tamara’s breath hitched as Sanji pressed feather light kisses against the scar traveling her face. Well, what he could reach at least. " I'm going to show you, without touching you in a sexually intimate manner, just how beautiful you are to me Tamara. However, there will be kisses pressed into every inch of your skin that I can get to without making it sexual too." Tamara cried out as he drew her fingers between his lips and he suckled them for a moment. " You will beg me to touch you in any way I please by the time I'm finished with you, I can promise you that Tamara."

Tamara’s eyes widened behind the handkerchief. Oh shit, what he called worship was going to be slow, sweet torture. Tamara’s back arched suddenly as Sanji pressed a featherlight kiss against her shoulder blade and she cried out softly as an unexpected lance of pleasure raced through her body and straight to her core. Oh shit! She was going to cum before Sanji even got near to being done with her.

Sanji lifted one of Tamara’s legs and he pressed his lips against the inside of her ankle. How long had he wanted to kiss his way up her legs? To nibble on the toned, taut flesh that was meeting his eyes. Nibbling would be construed as a sexual touch, but the soft reverent kisses he was trailing up her calf were not. Tamara was gasping and crying out every time he did, and Sanji purred in response. He wanted her to feel everything, hence why he had covered her eyes. Her other senses would quickly accommodate.

Tamara almost cried as Sanji stopped at her mid thigh, refusing to go any higher than he was. Oh dear lord, this was because she had thrown it in his face that she had told him he was never touching her again. How could she have even thought such a thing?! She arched off the bed as his lips suddenly closed over her toes, and Tamara screamed in delight. She never understood why, but her feet and legs were so sensitive to the touch like this. Even if he wasn't trying to be, Sanji was making this ridiculously erotic.

" I'm going to turn you over now Tamara." Sanji whispered breathlessly in her ear. She shuddered at the sound of him, his voice was so rich and deep with desire that Tamara suddenly keened. The feeling of his hot breath against her sensitive lobe had almost undone her.

Tamara cried in her rapture as Sanji kissed her body tenderly, and her body writhed against his as his hands traversed her arms, sides, and neck. Her back was stuck in a perpetual arch as he worshipped every piece of skin on her abdomen, and Tamara could feel him whispering though she couldn't hear him. He was over her scar, touching it, kissing it as if it wasn't there...No, he wasn't acting as if it wasn't there. The touches and kisses pressed into the darkened and jagged flesh were filled with so much more feeling than the others so far had been. This is what he had meant by worshipping her...

For the first time in five years, Tamara truly felt beautiful.

" Sanji!" Tamara called out to him. Another soft scream tore itself from her throat as he reached the most sensitive spot on her scar, the area right by her hip. Tamara shuddered as his lips slowly brushed over the uneven skin and she felt tears sting her cheeks. " Sanji please!  I can't...Oh Sanji!" His lips were suddenly dragging over her clavicle and Tamara swore she felt his body settle over hers a moment. No, he hadn't. Her imagination, as well as her senses, were reeling at the moment. " Kiss me more, touch me more! Please! I need more than this!"

A slow, sensual chuckle reverberated against her flesh. " What about me worshipping you?" he asked her. " I told you I wasn't going to touch you that way." He pressed another sweet kiss against her jawline and Tamara writhed beneath him again. She was testing his patience with as sweetly as she was responding to him. Sanji then kissed her lips and Tamara almost screamed in her delight. His tongue began dueling with hers passionately and Sanji fisted the cotton sheets. He wanted nothing more than to keep touching her right now.

“ Sanji, please...No more. I need you to touch me elsewhere, I need to feel everything, please! I’m going to combust if you don’t.” Tamara begged him. Her back arched high as she tried to find him to get some sort of contact with him, but Sanji wasn’t anywhere nearby. “ Sanji I’m sorry! Please! I didn’t mean it earlier, I was only teasing! I…OH!” Tamara had to keep herself from screaming out in both surprise and delight as Sanji’s body settled over hers. His lips had latched back onto her collarbone and his hand was smoothing up her side. His hips rolled against hers and Tamara moaned low and wantonly when she felt his erection. 

“ So you want me to touch you now?” Sanji purred, his voice full of naughty promise. “ Here?” He traced the pad of his thumb over her taut nipple and Tamara did scream then. All it had done was send jolts of pleasure through her body. He only wished Tamara could see the smile on his face right now. “ Or maybe here?” His hand was suddenly between her thighs and Sanji carefully flicked her clit through her underwear. Dear lord, she had soaked them!

“ Oh shit!” Tamara cried. “ Sanji!” She was straining hard against the binds on her wrists. Now Tamara could see what he meant that he didn’t her to deter him. He was a man on a mission now, and she’d distract everything he wanted to do to her if she were free. “ More!” She undulated against him as Sanji’s mouth then closed around a pert nipple and his fingers pushed her knickers aside to tease her core. His pleased groan rebounded through her breast as he felt her readiness and Tamara shook. She was so close! “ Sanji I’m...I…”

“ You’re going to cum already Tamara?” Sanji’s voice sent a thrill through her just listening to it and he groaned as he felt her legs tighten over his hips. “ I’m nowhere near through with you yet, you realize.”

Tamara came at that exact moment, and Sanji swore under his breath. Suddenly, his weight was gone from on top of her, but Tamara knew he had not left the bed. Just as suddenly, she felt him all but tear her underwear away from her and his lips and tongue were at her core, cleaning and teasing her all the more. Tamara strained hard against her restraints and her back arched high as she felt Sanji's tongue flick over her clit. She screamed wantonly as another release crashed over her and Sanji's groans of delight reached her ears. Every nerve was over sensitized to even the slightest touch. " Sanji! Oh god, Sanji!"

Sanji couldn't take another moment more of this. He sat up and undid the restraints holding her hands above her head and he pushed the handkerchief away from her eyes." You are mine." He whispered heatedly as he looked into her ocean blue orbs.

" Only yours." Tamara affirmed passionately. Her jaw went slack as Sanji positioned himself at her entrance and her eyes fluttered at the sensation.

" You see this bed, Tamara? I'm never leaving it and neither are you. Promise me you'll never do that again." Sanji demanded gently. His eyes were a bit wet as he recalled that fateful night when he found Tamara gone with only a letter and her engagement ring to say good bye.

" I promise Sanji. Never again." Tamara reiterated. There were tears sparkling in her eyes again as well as she said it.

" There is no one on this planet who will love you more than I do." Within seconds he had Tamara’s legs hooked over his elbows and with a quick snap of his hips he was inside of her. " Damn Tamara..." he groaned as he felt her spasm around him. She was undulating wildly underneath him even as he kept thrusting into her willing body. " I came into this expecting to keep my control, but you broke my resolve so quickly."

Tamara grabbed his shoulders tightly and her nails dug into his skin a bit as Sanji went on automatic, their bodies moving in unison as they began striving for the stars. Tears of happiness and completion streaked her face as Sanji made wild, passionate love to her, and she pulled him closer to kiss him. Their tongues entwined like their bodies and Tamara clutched Sanji tighter still as another orgasm began harshly building.

" I love you." She whimpered against his lips, only to crest the wave right after.

Three words had never made Sanji come so hard. His release rocked him in four intense spurts and Sanji's jaw dropped as he looked into Tamara’s eyes. She was beautiful, angelic, and she held his heart in her delicate hands. He had never wanted anything more in this world than her.

Sanji felt blissfully numb as he lowered himself a bit to kiss her again and Tamara returned his fervor with her own. Now that was makeup sex, Sanji mused as he slid to the side. Tamara was panting heavily beside him as she curled up to him and she laid her head against his chest. She could hear Sanji's heart thudding wildly against the confines of his ribcage.

" Damn." She whispered and they both broke out in laughter from the sentiment. " I know I said not to even think of it, but damn. That was no quickie."

Sanji chuckled tiredly as Tamara curled up to him tighter still. " So, I'm never touching you again hm?" He said teasingly.

Tamara laughed softly in response. " I said that in the heat of the moment Sanji. I'm sorry I ever did." She whispered. " Where do we stand with all this?"

Sanji sighed a little as he turned to face her. Was she still having doubts? " I thought that was obvious Tamara. I want us to pick up where we left off." Sanji replied tenderly.

Tamara brow quirked up in curiosity. " Baratie left off or Romoria left off?" She inquired. Her fingers trailed down his jaw line and Sanji kissed the tips affectionately as he turned his head to them.

" Which would you prefer?" His gaze was serious as he met her eyes and Tamara sat up as she mulled things over. They would have been married by now, would have probably had a few kids by this point. Sanji knew that throwing a child into the mix right now would be extremely dangerous, considering that Magnus was actively hunting her down again. He groaned in realization as the thought hit him. They had not taken any precautions this time. " Shit."

" Reconsidering?" Tamara questioned mirthfully

" Not for a damn second. For all we know, I could have just gotten you pregnant." Sanji retorted with a slight glare.

Tamara shook her head. " Chopper was one step ahead of you. He has me on the same contraceptive that he makes for Nami and Robin. I'm due for my next dose at the end of next week." Tamara chuckled. " Would that be such a bad thing if we were to resume our engagement though?"

" With Magnus knowing you're alive, yes. Think of the lengths he's going through to kill you now, Tamara. He'll surely double his efforts if he knows you're with child. I thought I lost you once. I don't know if I could handle losing you and our unborn child at the same time." His voice was barely a whisper as he sat up as well and his eyes were staring ahead blankly as if Sanji were caught in a waking nightmare. He was relieved to know that she was already taking her own precautions though. It was one less burden off of his back.

“ I can’t make any promises concerning Magnus, Sanji. That bastard is either going to die by my blade or he’s going to stand trial for the atrocity he committed five years ago. Even if it means I have to take the throne even though I never wanted to.” Tamara replied. “ I have you in my corner now. I didn’t have that five years ago.”

“ You didn’t let me in your corner five years ago. Zeff and I both would have gone with you if you had asked us. You might have stood more of a chance then.” Sanji shot back. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it still hurt that Tamara had not come to him in her most desperate hour. She had acted while she had been extremely emotionally compromised.

“ It’s a mistake I’ve been paying for the last five years Sanji. I obviously wasn’t thinking straight then. The only thing I could think of was the fact that he was going to kill you. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let Magnus destroy Baratie either. It was home.” Tamara smiled as she thought of the restaurant. She missed that old geezer something fierce. “ I wonder if I’ll ever see it again.”

Sanji smiled as well. “ Do you honestly think I was going to not take you back for a visit? Besides, I want to see if Zeff has a heart attack at seeing you alive and well again.”

Tamara laughed softly at that proclamation. “ He just might. We may want to have Chopper on hand too if that is the case.”

“ Now that I think on it, I have something I want you to look at.” Sanji said. He got up from the bed, only to jump in surprise as he felt a pinch on one of his butt cheeks. Tamara had goosed him the minute she was able to and she laughed brightly at the look he shot her.

“ Can’t help it. You’ve got a nice ass.” she explained with a flirtatious wink. She laughed as Sanji shook his head in his mirth and he pulled his boxers back on. Tamara took that moment to grab a nightie from her armoire as well. “ What’cha got there?” She was looking at a piece of yellowed parchment and her brow creased a bit as she looked at it. That wasn’t the letter she had written Sanji.

“ Martin was supposed to give this to both of us when he got to Baratie.” Sanji explained. Incidentally, the letters from both Tamara and her parents, along with the rings were in his goody bag. It had only become his goody bag while he had been traveling with Luffy. Needless to say, he had amassed quite an interesting collection over the last three years.

Tamara swallowed hard as she opened the letter and tears filled her eyes as she looked over her father’s handwriting. She missed her parents so much…

Sanji watched as she read the letter silently and her free hand rose to cover her mouth in an effort to stifle her sobs. Tears were coursing down her cheeks all the while, and after a few moments she put it down. “ I doubt reading this would have stopped you then, but you deserved to read it. You’re parents were wonderful people Tamara. I miss them too.”

“ I never knew how much they loved you. They always wanted us to be together…” she whispered as she wiped her tears away. “ Well damn, if I had known sooner, I wouldn’t have taken as long as I did.”

Sanji chuckled. She was referring to telling him how she felt then. “ Things happen the way they do for a reason.” Sanji said. Zeff had told him that five years ago. “ For good or bad Tamara. You were meant to do what you did, just as we were meant to find one another again back in Romoria. I’ll admit, you had me going in circles trying to figure you out then.”

Tamara smirked even as she leaned in to give him a kiss. “ That’s my job and I sure as hell don’t take it lightly.” she teased. Tamara looked back at the letter again. Her parents wanted her to find her own happiness, to find her own place in the world away from Denebra. They seemed to have known that she never wanted to take the throne. Her brow furrowed a little as she kept reading it over. There was a message within the message. “ Sanji get me a pen and paper…” she said suddenly, her eyes going wide.

Sanji was curious. “ What’s going on, Mara?”

“ Did you think it odd that there are so many capitalized letters?” Tamara asked him and Sanji shrugged nonchalantly. It had never really crossed his mind in all honesty. She was already writing them all down and Tamara doubled checked everything over to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “ We came up with this code when Magnus first started to try to push my father out of the throne. I know he never caught on, thank goodness. He was never able to intercept any missives between my father and eye because only Martin was allowed to deliver them.” She looked over the letters carefully as she began to rearrange them. “ Magnus is not of the royal line...Check the records...Look for Aden...He is alive and waiting for you in Sensenbor…” Tamara paled instantly as she looked at the last part.

“ He’s your brother…” Sanji finished.

“ No…” Tamara whispered. “ That can’t be true. They would have told me the truth...Why would my parents hide that from me?!" Her heart was pounding so furiously at this revealation that Tamara was sure it was trying to beat right through her chest. Either that or it was going to explode from the shock. Aden, the cousin that she had never been allowed to see, the boy that had always been more of a ghost until they had started talking through letters, was her brother?!

“ To protect both of you. Magnus isn’t part of your family Tamara...” Sanji said suddenly. “ He’s not part of the royal line, but how is…”

“ He had to have been adopted. Wait! I remember hearing a story about how Denebra was at war for several years with Briss...Magnus looks nothing like either of my grandparents either. Maybe they took him in once the war was won?” Tamara inquired.

Sanji had a contemplative look on his face as well. “ That could be the case. It wasn’t uncommon in that age to do something like that. Magnus was never in line for the throne to begin with. What if he obliterated the Denebran royal line as an act of revenge for what happened to Briss?”

“ I need more information. And for that, I’m going to need Robin.” Tamara said. She looked down at the decoded message again. Aden was her brother. They were twins. “ I wonder if Aden’s known all this time that we were siblings.”

“ That’s why you were never allowed to play with him, you both would have figured it out in an instant. Didn’t you say that you and Aden had to resort to letter writing when he was sent off to Leonara?” Sanji asked her.

“ Aunt Jessa and Magnus adopted him. Mother always said Jessa had problems in trying to get pregnant...So when Aden and I were born, I was the first born…” Tamara whispered. “ I’m a sister…I always wished he was my brother.” She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “ Yes, Aden and I were writing letters back and forth, always going on about what we would do if we ever got a chance to talk face to face. Why would I need to check the records for though? That doesn’t make sense.” That part had been tickling her brain for the longest time. What could be in the records that she would need to look up?

“ Maybe your parents hid something there for the two of you.” Sanji offered. “ We won’t know for sure right now. We’ll have more information in a month though.”

“ I’m about to get more information on Briss now.” Tamara replied. She jumped off the bed and immediately changed into her other clothes. “ I’m sorry this is putting a damper on the mood, Sanji but…”

“ I understand completely Tamara. I won’t deny I would like more answers myself.” Sanji replied, though there was only one thought on his mind now.

Tamara didn’t have to take the throne seeing as how she was no longer the only heir. What her parents had wished for was possible. Tamara could find her own happiness away from Denebra. Sanji couldn’t help but smirk a little as Tamara darted out of her room. Her enthusiasm was contagious and Sanji didn’t feel in the slightest bit tired now despite the energy making love to Tamara had entailed. He pulled his trousers back up and he looked at the bag curiously for a moment. The ring boxes were at the very top now. Sanji pulled the the slightly bigger box out and he opened it for the first time in five years. Tamara’s engagement ring sat beside the matching wedding band and he looked towards the door again.

Was it too soon?

Sanji sighed as he pulled the ring out and he looked at it a long time as if trying to figure out what Tamara honestly wanted. Then again, only Tamara had the answer to that. He stood straight with the ring still in his grasp. " I'm probably going to make a fool out of myself tonight." he whispered into the empty room. Sanji pulled his shirt off the floor and then his jacket. While he was waiting on Tamara, he could at least get his things moved in. Hopefully Robin would be able to get the information they needed about the war between Denebra and Briss fairly quickly.

Sanji smirked a bit. Knowing the archaeologist, Tamara probably had her hands on the book as he was thinking about it.


	5. Sensenbor Island

_The war between Briss and Denebra was an ugly affair. Briss had launched an unprovoked attack on a Denebran cruise ship that carried the king, Dane Cygne, and his wife. The two were killed in the attack, which led to Genevieve Cygne Leonias taking the throne earlier than she had planned. Her husband, Torbin Leonias, declared war on Briss for the death of the monarch. It lasted for seven years. In the end, the war ended with Denebra as the victor when Torbin Leonias subdued the King of Briss, Morden Irenfist._  
   
" It doesn't say a damn thing on if Magnus was a member of the Briss royal line." Sanji drawled. Tamara had been reading from the book aloud and he scowled. Well, that hadn’t worked out like they had hoped.

Tamara sighed in her melancholy. So much for hoping that they could get their answers that easily. It looked like they were going to have to find out through other means. " You're right. There is next to nothing on the war between Briss and Denebra except for this though. Maybe that's why my father told me to check the records?"

" Could be." Sanji agreed and the two went silent for a bit to see if Tamara could try to glean any more information from the text. The ring was still sitting in his pocket, it was as if it was scalding him the longer it sat there. Sanji cleared his throat nervously and Tamara looked up.

" Everything alright?" Tamara's tone was light and mirthful.

" You never answered me earlier, Mara." Sanji replied. His palms were sweating in his nervousness and his fingers brushed the tiny jeweled band in his pocket.

Tamara closed the book softly and she set it on the window sill. Turning to look out the panes of glass, she sighed a little. " I honestly don't know Sanji. I've been thinking about it, on top of everything else, but I don't know what to do. Five years changed us both so much..." She felt Sanji pull her against him as his arms wrapped around her waist.

" Not where it counts." Sanji whispered against her neck. Both his hands took hers and he settled them over her heart.

Tamara smiled softly. " That's true. I meant what I said though. I have been thinking this over. I don't think this is the safest point in time for us to resume our engagement Sanji. It's like when you were worried about us having a baby right now. If Magnus were to learn that, he'd be trying to kill you in order to get to me. I'm not willing to put you in that kind of danger Sanji."

" I'm already in danger, Mara. All of us are. Magnus has to know by now that we're helping you. And don't even think of trying to ditch us either." Sanji smirked a little as Tamara turned to face him. " You don't have just me in your corner now. You only need ask. Luffy already offered once. If he gives the orders, we're going to Denebra."

Tamara hadn't thought that the rest of the crew would be that willing to take up her cause. " Are you guys always like this?" She asked, though her voice cracked a bit she was so overcome with emotion. Her heart felt a swell of love not just for Sanji, but for everyone else aboard the Thousand Sunny. She hadn't felt this kind of camaraderie in years.

" Pretty much." Sanji replied as he wiped her tears away. " We're more than just a crew, Tamara. We're a family. You've been a part of that for the last two months now. You're not alone any more."

Tamara rested her head against Sanji chest as he held her tight. She was crying, but they were happy tears.

Zoro and Franky were watching from the hatch. They hadn't heard much, but it was obvious that the two had made their peace and the two men smiled at the sight. It was good to see them both happy for a change.

" Alright you two, get a room already. You're going to have the rest of the crew acting all mushy if you keep this up." Zoro said blandly. His eyes betrayed him though and Tamara laughed even as she picked her book back up off the window sill.

" I'm going to need to talk to everyone in the morning. Something big happened today and..." Tamara began.

" What? You two are going to elope once we reach Sensenbor Island?" Franky teased. " Go get some sleep. We'll get the scoop in the morning, alright?" He stopped Sanji short just before he followed Tamara down the hatch. " I'm glad you two worked things out. Just don't do anything we wouldn't do."

Sanji smirked triumphantly. " Too late for that." He replied with a purr as he looked Zoro in the eye. That was sure to put a naughty mental picture in that dumbass’ mind.

" Aw dammit! Now I've got images in my head that don't need to..." Zoro began as Sanji climbed down the hatch.

The chef couldn't hold back his laughter as he followed Tamara. Sanji couldn't help but mess with Zoro. It was too much fun sometimes. Tamara shook her head at her beloved’s antics. When it came to those two, it seemed as if it was nothing but an eternal pissing contest.

 

* * *

  
  
" So let me get this straight. Sanji showed you a letter from your parents from five years ago that had an encrypted message in it. From it you find out that not only do you still have a relative who survived, but that he's your twin brother and you never knew that he was your brother? In fact you believed that he was your cousin all this time even though you've only seen him once or twice?" Usopp questioned. Tamara had told them last night's revelation over breakfast.

A nod to all those questions was Usopp's answer.  " According to my father, they sent him to the very island we'll be at next month." Tamara replied. " Sanji and I are pretty sure that we figured out Magnus' motive behind all of this. It stems to the war that was raging when my father was born. Magnus might be from Briss, but right now that's our only lead."

Luffy grinned broadly. " You just let me know when you're ready and we'll head to Denebra." His voice was oozing with confidence.

Tamara smiled fondly at the captain. " Let's go to Sensenbor and find Aden first. Then we can talk about the ass kicking that Magnus has coming to him." She replied with a broad grin.

The entire crew broke out laughing at statement. Luffy's enthusiasm and courage were contagious it seemed. Tamara hurriedly finished her breakfast and bolted for her craft room. She still needed to finish the rest of the liners she was working on and then she had to figure out how she was going to get them into place before everyone went to bed that night.

  

* * *

 

 

 

" OOOOHHHH! So comfy!" Luffy exclaimed as he settled into his bunk.

" Sure as hell beats sleeping against wood with only a blanket or two to serve as a buffer." Franky agreed.

" When did she even find the time to put these in?" Usopp questioned. The boys had learned about Tamara's surprise for them as they all settled in for bed. He couldn't help but sigh in relaxation as he settled into his own rack. Wow, the liners Tamara had made had just the right amount of softness to them and the material was nice and cool.

" Who knows. She definitely did us a huge favor though." Franky smiled as his eyes closed. " She didn't have a lot of time to make them either, or get them installed. Nami wasn't kidding when she said Tamara was the fastest seamstress on the Grand Line."

" Is she wearing her engagement ring again?" Luffy asked. The whole crew knew that the two had patched things up the night before.

" I haven't seen it." Usopp replied. " I don't think that they would pick things back up that quick, Luffy. They were estranged for five years after all."

Luffy's brow furrowed. Again he couldn't help but dwell on the fact that Magnus had been the cause of that rift. " I don't want to wait to head to Denebra." he stated tightly. " I want to beat that bastard into a pulp for hurting Tamara and Sanji as much as he has."

" You left that decision to her though Luffy. Besides, we'll be at Sensenbor Island soon. Tamara wants to find her brother first." Franky retorted. " I understand how you feel Luffy, but we need to take things one at a time."

Luffy didn't reply though he was still scowling a bit as he stared at the ceiling. He hated waiting.

 

* * *

  
  
Over the course of the next month, Tamara would often spare against Brook to keep from getting rusty in her sword play. Sanji would watch her, completely entranced with her movements. Sure Sanji had visited Denebra a bit when he and Tamara were younger, but he had never seen her practice her sword play before though he knew from experience how deadly she was with a knife in her hand. He had seen it first hand back in Romoria.

" Watching the two of you is getting boring Tam." Zoro called down to her one afternoon. His tone was harsh and his gaze spoke volumes of uninterest.

" You're just mad because you're nowhere near as graceful as either of them, moss head." Sanji snapped back. " Just because you're bored watching them doesn't mean that the rest of us are." His grey blue gaze was piercing as he leveled it on the swordsman.

" It's fine Sanji." Tamara said, though her tone was saying that it was anything but. " What are you suggesting then, oh fearsome pirate hunter?" Her blue eyes were defiant as she glared at him and she swung the wooden sword that she had been using in her hand a bit.

Zoro smirked. " I want to see how long your fancy sword work can last against my three sword style." His gaze was piercing as he looked down on Tamara from the second level. " Unless you feel that you're not up to the challenge."

Tamara smirked. " I can always fight you the same way I did Mangus." She turned her head to Brook a moment. " Brook, would you mind?" She asked sweetly, all the while batting her eyelashes innocently. Brook had a thing for the wholesome, good girl act and Tamara liked teasing him with it.

Sanji couldn't help but chuckle at the way Tamara had Brook wrapped around her finger. He also knew his friend would never try to make a move on Tamara, which meant his lover was either indulging the perverted skeleton, or she was teasing the hell out of him every time she did it.

Knowing Tamara? It was definitely the latter.

" Of course my dear!" Brook gushed and he held the handle of his sword out to Tamara. She pulled the blade free in a single smooth stroke and she tested the weight a bit. Brook sighed at the vision before him. " Beautiful and deadly." He simpered adoringly.

Tamara turned towards Zoro with a competitive gaze. " Ready when you are." She said tauntingly.

Zoro smirked almost ferally. He had been hoping to challenge Tamara for a couple of weeks now. " You had better not interfere, fancy brows." Zoro said around his blade as he prepared himself. He jumped down to the main deck where Tamara stood waiting. Her gaze was cold and imperious as she met his eyes. " You had better not hold back."

" I expect the same from you." Tamara replied. Her voice was nothing like Sanji had ever heard it before. As much as he didn't want Amara sparring off with Zoro, Sanji couldn't help but be intrigued. He wanted...No, needed to know what Tamara's limits were in an all out fight. He had never seen her use everything she had to give before. Tamara began stepping to her left, her movements fluid and silent and her blade swayed disconcertingly as she waited.

Zoro was just as patient and he swung his blades in a show of ambidexterity. The look in his eyes was almost wild. He followed her movements, though he was tensed a ready to block any shot Tamara made.

" I'll land a potentially lethal blow in five moves." Tamara said out of nowhere. Her voice was steady and sure. There was undeniable confidence in her tone. Her gaze was locked to Zoro's and it hadn't wavered in a show of cowardice.

" Potentially lethal, huh?" Zoro sneered. " Let's see about that." He launched forward and his blades clanged against the single sword Tamara was wielding. Damn she was faster then she looked. She slashed at an opening and Zoro dodged it, following it up with an immediate parry. Their blades met again and Zoro's eyes widened in shock. That was four moves so far.

Tamara spun and Zoro winced as he felt the blade graze his neck. That was what she had meant by that?! Only an inch to the right and he would have been dead! Well, Tamara hadn’t said that it would have been the end of the duel at least.

“ Is that all you’ve got?!” Zoro bellowed as he brought his blades down in an arc.

Tamara jumped back, as she knew that Brook’s sword wouldn’t stand a chance if all three connected. As soon as the blades cleared, Tamara was back in close quarters, and her left leg connected with Zoro’s shoulder. Shit! How much of Sanji's fighting style did Tamara know? The swordsman’s eyes went wide at the force of the blow, he had not been expecting that level of strength from her! Zoro put some distance between them and he took a moment to rub out the soreness that Tamara had left him with.

“ You alright?” she purred. There was a smirk on her face that was doing nothing but pissing Zoro off. She had the same smug look Sanji had when he knew he hit hard.

" Fine." Zoro growled. He closed the distance between them and he ducked as Tamara's foot flew for his head. Zoro was forced to roll out of the way as Tamara twisted to bring her foot down in a vicious axe kick.

Tamara hissed as she felt one of Zoro's blades glance her leg but she parried the next three slashes that the swordsman sent her way. Zoro was now constantly keeping her on the defense and her feet and sword were barely keeping up with Zoro's precise movements. She was taking every opening she could to land a hit though it did nothing to slow Zoro down. Zoro suddenly rushed in again and Tamara rolled to dodge his Onigiri. She looked around wildly, not seeing him anywhere. Where the hell had he gone?!

She looked skyward and Tamara went to her back as Zoro came crashing down. Her legs went up on pure instinct to throw him and she rolled into a handstand. Both legs spun as she turned herself and she heard Zoro grunt as she kicked him in the jaw. " Veau shot!" Tamara bellowed. Her leg flew out to hit him in the chest but Zoro blocked the kick with the flat of his blades. She quickly turned and her borrowed blade followed but Zoro had already closed the space between them.

Both of the swords in his hands were scissored at her neck.

" Not a bad showing." Zoro admitted as he lowered his blades. " I'll admit that you went much longer than I thought you would." He rubbed his jaw a bit and he smirked. " You mentioned that you needed to get past ten thousand kilos right? I can help you with that."

Tamara smiled. " Any help would be appreciated." She replied. She looked up at Sanji who was beaming with pride. It felt good to know that she had made him proud with that display.

“ How did you know about that shot to my neck earlier?” Zoro asked. To be honest, it had him puzzled beyond belief.

Tamara giggled. “ That was more to get into your head. It threw you off enough to allow me to control the flow of the fight for those first few moves. After that though, it was like you became an entirely different person." Tamara admitted. " There is more to swordsmanship than just swinging your blade. Sometimes it means getting into your opponent's head too."

Zoro nodded. It was a good tactic to keep in mind. He looked up to the second level where Sanji was watching Tamara still, though his smile as soft and tender as was the look in his visible eye. Oh, that was one man who was thoroughly smitten with his lady. " Oi! Fancy brows! Are you going to have a problem with me training her further?" Zoro called up to him.

" Fine by me." Sanji replied. " I was already of the mind to keep working on her footwork with her as well."

Tamara nodded in agreement. It had been a long time since she and Sanji had trained together. She knew from talking with Nami that Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy were the strongest fighters on board. She'd be a fool to pass up such a chance.

Magnus wasn't going to know what hit him the next time their blades crossed.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji was fast asleep with Tamara curled up to him like she used to do, pretty much half on top of him. Her head was resting over his heart, her left arm was curled tightly around his torso and one of her legs was tangled with both of his. Both had already completed their shifts for nightwatch, in fact Sanji had just gotten back to bed not too long before.

The great boom of a cannon suddenly roused them and Tamara almost fell out of the bed in her stupor. Sanji had bolted up as well and they looked around wildly. What the hell had just happened?! Another explosion rocked the ship this time and Tamara bolted out the door to see what the hell was going on. Sanji wasn't far behind her either.

Robin's battlecry brought them both to full wakefulness as they appeared on deck and Sanji looked towards the starboard bow. There was another vessel, a pirate ship, attempting to board them.

The rest of the crew was already leaping into action and the sounds of battle was creating a cacophony that deafened Sanji's ears. Five men rushed towards him and Sanji put them down. He stiffened a moment. Sanji could feel someone approaching him from behind and the chef hurriedly dodged a giant hammer as it came down where he had just been a moment before. His gaze narrowed. This was the same band of pirates that had attacked them in Romoria. Damn. Sanji had been sure that he had put that bastard down.

Tamara's bellow shocked them both as she came flying into the fray, and her foot connected strongly with the bastard's shoulder. The pirate was sent face first into the deck and the exiled princess looked at him. The gaze she affixed Sanji with was all too clear.

He's mine.

Sanji nodded and Tamara smiled almost ferally as she launched her offensive. The training that she had done for the last two weeks with Zoro and Sanji was paying off. She was smaller than her opponent, therefore much faster and her strikes were connecting with a ferocity that Sanji had never seen from her before.

" This is for destroying my foyer, you son of a bitch!" he heard her scream. Even though she was a few meters away, Sanji felt as if he was tuned in to every single bit of noise around him.

The telltale click of a chamber being loaded swam into his ears and Sanji looked around in a panic. Who the hell had a gun and why did it sound so close?! Sanji spotted the gunman as he began encroaching from behind Tamara. He had her in his sights already and he was getting ready to pull the trigger! Sanji surged forward, all the while screaming Tamara's name, and the shot rang out.

The battle seemed to freeze for a solid minute despite that it was only a few seconds.

Tamara looked up at Sanji, her eyes wide and full of terror as she watched blood pour from the exit wound in his back. He had taken the shot point blank. The chef teetered on his feet, and then Sanji crashed to his knees. He fell to the deck, motionless...Blood began pooling around him as he stared into the distance unseeing.

" Sanji..." Tamara couldn't even recognize her own voice. Terror like she had never known gripped her heart in it's cold, numbing hold. She had never felt this afraid, even when she herself had been so close to knocking on death's door. "...get up...Sanji please..." White hot rage began settling over her as she looked upon the unmoving form of the man she loved. No...He couldn't be dead! " SANJI!!!!!" Tamara screamed as she got to her feet. She didn't know when it happened, but her hand had closed around the massive hammer that her previous assailant had wielded. She swung it forward, her other hand closing over the stock and it hit the gunman in the head. He too crumpled to the deck, lifeless.

" CHOPPER! ROBIN! NAMI! GET HIM TO SICK BAY!" Zoro ordered above the chaos. Two more of the marauding pirates went flying as Tamara hit them with her borrowed weapon. The crazed look in her eyes told Zoro what he feared.

Tamara had gone berserk.

" Shit." Zoro swore under his breath. Their attackers were running for their lives at this point, many of them were jumping over the bow in an effort to get away from the incensed woman. Those who were foolish enough to try to fight her were falling faster than Zoro thought possible. Tamara's rage and grief were fueling her strength and that alone was the most terrifying thought. What if the rest of them had to fight her in an effort to calm her down? How guilt stricken would Tamara be because of the aftermath of such a confrontation. " Luffy, Brook! Corral her towards the aft! Usopp, Franky! Find a way to get that hammer out of her ha..." Zoro was suddenly cut off as Luffy was flung into him and the two hit the main mast hard. Brook crashed into the deck right beside them. " Damn!" he groused. Now he could see why Sanji had been sore when Tamara had tossed him from her room the month before.

Usopp was attempting to get Tamara in his sights, but the enraged woman was moving too fast for him to catch in the darkness. " Franky! Get her still!" he called over.

" Right!" Franky answered. " I'm sorry Tamara." Franky's eyes narrowed as Tamara began closing the distance between them, trying to get to Luffy and Brook where the three lay groaning and he put himself in the middle. She wasn't getting anywhere near them if he had anything to say about it. He raised his fist in preparation to bring her down, but Tamara slammed the hammer against the deck and used the momentum like a vault to propel herself upwards. Her feet crashed against his face and Franky immediately saw white just before losing consciousness. He crumpled in a heap and Tamara jumped over Franky's prone form as she brought the hammer above her head.

" Gum Gum Balloon!" Luffy cried hurriedly. Tamara was bringing the hammer down on both of their prone forms and the captain absorbed the blow even as he covered Zoro. " Get up there and get Robin! We need to completely immobilize her! I swear, if Sanji..." Luffy couldn't even bring himself to finish what he was about to say as he caught the next swing Tamara aimed at them. " Tamara! Calm down!"

Her feral scream was her only reply. Tamara had snapped, her consciousness receding and leaving only the pain filled husk at the fore.

" What the hell are you waiting for Zoro?! Go get Robin!" Luffy demanded and Zoro seemed to snap out of his stupor. Tamara could have killed them with that hit if Luffy hadn't been so quick to act. Luffy pushed the mallet away from him, forcing Tamara backwards as well. He was going to have to stall as much as he could until Robin could get there and Luffy knew he couldn't throw a single punch. Sanji would never forgive him if he hit Tamara, even in self defense. The woman was clearly not herself either. Luffy wrenched the gigantic hammer from her grasp and Tamara launched herself at the captain, sending them both crashing against the wall under Chopper's medical wing.

" LUFFY! Robin can't leave sick bay right now! She's helping Chopper staunch the bleeding!" Zoro cried out. He blanched when he saw the predicament Luffy was in. Tamara was trying to wrap her hands around his throat.

" Damn it!" Luffy hissed under his breath. His gaze narrowed as he drew his foot up and he pushed Tamara off of him. " Someone grab Franky and everyone get out of this vicinity now! Make sure you're not in sight!" He grabbed Tamara before she could jump upwards to clash with Zoro and Luffy felt her fist connect with his temple.

Tamara was definitely not herself. She wouldn't dream of using her hands to fight, not when she used them to bring so much joy and beauty into the world.

" I'm not letting you go until you calm down so the only one you're going to hit is me Tamara! So you had better start getting all of it out now!" Luffy shouted over her incoherent screeches. Another blow hit his brow and it opened up a cut there. It was only superficial at best. Luffy let her go only when everyone was off deck and he stood still as he took every punch and kick that Tamara dealt him. He could take it.

Slowly Tamara's hits became fewer and fewer. Luffy sighed a bit and he held his arms out to her, into which Tamara all but collapsed as she sobbed brokenly. " I can't lose him!" she wailed. " I can't let Magnus take him from me! That bastard's already taken everything else!" Her fists beat ineffectually against Luffy's chest and he tightened his grip on her. His chest was so tight in his own pain and rage Luffy was sure his heart was going to stop from the tension there. " I can't!"

Luffy didn't care how long it took now, or if Tamara had warned him off. Magnus was going to pay for this. The captain was going to send his foot so far up that bastard's ass that Magnus would be able to taste the bottom of Luffy's sandals for weeks.

Tamara didn't know how long she cried, not how long it was until Luffy finally loosened his hold on her.

" Tamara?" Chopper's voice was scared and Tamara turned her teary gaze onto him. " I'm not going to have to sedate you or anything am I? I don't want to do that to you."

Tamara shook her head. " What happened?" she sniffled. " The last thing I can clearly recall is..." Tamara's eyes went wide in fear and she looked around in a panic. " Chopper, where's Sanji?!" Her breath was suddenly forced from her chest as she looked at all the bodies laying on the deck and her hands trembled as she brought them to her mouth. What in god's name had happened here? Tamara looked up at Luffy for a moment to get her answers and her pallor went as white as a sheet. What had happened to Luffy? Where was everyone else for that matter?

Chopper gently took her face in both of his hooves and he forced her to look at him. There was too much carnage here, and he knew Tamara would have an even bigger mental breakdown if she knew how much of it she had caused. " Sanji's being moved to your bedroom as we speak. He's not conscious right now, and he's barely stable, but he's alive Tamara. That's all that matters."

Tamara's shoulders slumped visibly the minute the word alive left Chopper's mouth and her eyes closed as relieved tears fell from them. " I don't remember anything after seeing..." Tamara's shoulders shook and Chopper 's brow furrowed. He might have to sedate her after all, if only to get her to sleep. "...Luffy...What happened?"

" Don't worry about it right now. Go to Sanji, Tam. You need to be by his side." Luffy pulled Tamara to her feet and Tamara winced as her hands throbbed with pain. " Chopper, look over her hands really quick before she goes back to her room."

Chopper did as he was told and he silently worked. The shocked, yet haunted look in Tamara's eyes told him that she had figured out what happened. " You pulled muscles in both your arms...Tamara, I want you to take this when you get back to your room. It'll help you..."

" I can't go back to sleep right now Chopper." she sniffled. There was a fresh round of tears rolling off her cheeks as she looked at her bandaged fingers. She had broken three knuckles on her right hand, and she could only figure that it had been on Luffy's head.  _Please tell me I didn't do that to him..._  she thought desperately. She felt Luffy's hand on her shoulder and he started pushing her towards her room.

" Listen to Chopper, Tam. You need to rest too." Luffy ordered. He could feel her trembling and he gave her a supportive squeeze. " Don't think about anything up here, Tamara. Just focus on Sanji and yourself."

Tamara went to retort, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe she was better not knowing right now. " You had better fill me in on what happened after that bastard shot Sanji." she hissed. She roughly cast his hand off and the seamstress stomped away. Tears were still streaming down her face as she watched Nami exit out of her room. Zoro came out a moment later and both of them looked at her sympathetically. They had just brought Sanji over from sick bay.

" He's out cold for now, but he's still just barely hanging on." Nami whispered and she leaned into Zoro for support. Watching the two of them was only making Tamara's heart hurt even more. Right now, she couldn't even get the comfort she needed from the man she loved. He was fighting for his life right now.

" Tam..." Zoro whispered. He was refusing to meet her gaze. "...Do you remember anything?"

Tamara's eyes widened in surprise. Please, let her not have done anything to him either...What the hell had happened above deck?! " Zoro, what did I....What..." she stammered fearfully. The carnage above deck, Luffy's wounds, had she done all that herself? Who else had she hurt?

Zoro sighed heavily. " Don't worry about it. Just let it go for now. You didn’t kill any of us, so no harm no foul, alright?” Zoro turned Nami towards their room and he lifted a single hand up. “ We’ll see you in a couple hours. We’re going to try to get some sleep.”

Tamara’s head turned towards her’s and Sanji’s room and she swallowed thickly. She was almost scared to go in there, but Tamara knew she wanted to see for herself how he was doing. Steeling her courage, Tamara turned the knob and she entered the bedroom. There was a giant lump in her throat that was refusing to leave. She walked over to the bed and she sat gingerly on the side of it nearest to Sanji. If they thought for a second that she was going to sleep beside him while he was in this state, the rest of the crew had another thing coming. Tamara knew she wouldn’t so that she didn’t agitate his wounds. Tamara had to cuddle beside him in order to sleep on the bed with him. It had been like that even when they had first started sharing the bed in his room at Baratie over five years ago.

Her fingers trembled as she brushed the hair out of his face and a fresh sob made her hiccough in an attempt to hold it at bay as she caressed his cheek. His color was so pale, he almost blended in with the crisp, white sheets. “ You dumbass.” she whimpered. “ Why the hell did you have to do that?” Her hand moved lower over his neck and her blue eyes blurred as more tears came unbidden. Judging by the red stain on the bandages, the shot had been right through his lung and had barely missed his heart. Tamara doubled over the bed, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed brokenly.

Luffy popped his head in to check on Tamara and Sanji about an hour later, and he sighed heavily as he looked on at the scene that met him. Tamara was resting her head and arms on the side of the bed beside Sanji, and she was still sniffling a little even as she slept. Had she cried herself to sleep? Luffy’s brow furrowed as he walked in a little ways and he grabbed one of the throw blankets off of the chest at the foot of the bed. He covered Tamara and he looked down at Sanji. The two of them were a hell of a pair. Both of them were strong in their own right, but the problem was that they were extremely overprotective of each other. There was also that sense of chivalry Sanji had. He wouldn’t allow a woman to be harmed if it were in his power, much less raise a hand or foot against them. The man’s instincts when it came to women were unreal.

Luffy shook his head as he walked to the door. “ Crap...Who’s going to cook?” he dead panned as he closed the door behind him.

 

* * *

  
  
The mood was somber as the crew began filing into the dining room the next morning. The late night attack had taken it’s toll, on top of the realization that one of their crew was barely alive as a result. Franky was sporting two black eyes, and Luffy’s head was bandaged as well considering the blows Tamara had landed. The mood quickly began changing when they saw the table was laden with food and almost everyone’s mouth watered at the smell.

Sanji couldn’t be up and around already, could he?

Everyone looked at the kitchen and instead of a tall blonde man, a petite brunette was currently flipping pancakes.

“ Tamara?” Luffy said as if shocked. “ You can cook?”

Tamara busted out laughing at that question. “ I spent four months of the year for six years of my life on Baratie. What do you think?” she shot back. That laugh was exactly what she had needed to lift her spirits, even if it was only for a moment. Her eyes fell on both Franky and Luffy and her mood dipped once again. “ I’m sorry…” she whispered as she carried the platter around to the table.

Luffy stopped Tamara before she could get too far. “ Do you honestly think we’re blaming you for these?”

“ Don’t play it off as nothing, Luffy. I lost time between when Sanji was…” Tamara choked. She felt Luffy pull her close in a hug again. “ The scene I saw on deck...That was because of me?”

“ Most of it.” Luffy said honestly.

“ They need to start calling you Whiteleg Tamara.” Franky groused. “ That’s all I saw before I lost consciousness.” He quickly back pedaled when he saw that the young woman was even closer to bursting into tears again. “ I meant that in a good way! I think it’s awesome you were able to take me out in one kick!”

“ That doesn’t make me feel any better!” Tamara scolded even as her foot flew upside the back of his head. She looked around at the rest of the crew. “ Be honest, how many of you did I hurt?”

Luffy, Zoro, Brook, and Franky all raised their hands. Usopp looked mildly uncomfortable, as he knew that he could have just as easily been counted among those ranks.

“ Did I…”

“ You snapped, plain and simple. You weren’t yourself so don’t dwell on it. The only thing you’re guilty of is being hopelessly in love with fan...Sanji.” Zoro had been about to call him fancy brows again. “ You picked that hammer up and it was like the opposition began falling right at your feet. You seriously kicked some ass last night Tam.”

Tamara dwelled a little further. Picked up that hammer? The one that was easily three times her own weight? Well, that would explain why she had so many pulled muscles in her arms. They hurt like hell this morning. “ That still doesn’t make me feel better.” she whispered. She picked up a couple of plates and she began piling food on top. “ I’ll be back to get the dishes done in a bit.” And just like that, Tamara darted from the dining room and back across the deck.

 

* * *

 

Tamara entered their bedroom and her eyes fell over onto Sanji’s still form. He looked like hell still but when Chopper had check on him earlier, Sanji’s heart rate had risen a little to near normal levels. That was heartening to hear. Tamara sat beside him again and she sighed heavily as she began thinking about how much food she had cooked for dinner that evening. Sanji had been out for the entire day so far, not that she had been expecting him to jump right back after being shot like that. “ You had better not be out too long. I don’t know how the hell you manage to cook for all of us. I’m no slouch in the cooking department, you know this, but damn, I never honestly realized how much food we eat until I filled in your shoes.” she whispered. “ I’ve been doing a lot of thinking too, Sanji...I’m starting to realize you were right.” Her eyes turned to the chest of drawers and Tamara squeezed Sanji’s hand. “ All of us, no matter what now. I put all of you in danger when I came aboard this ship. I’m not breaking my promise however. I promised you I wasn’t ever going to do that again.”

Sanji sighed a little in his sleep and Tamara smiled softly. “ Again, don’t be out much longer.” she whispered as she pressed a loving kiss against his forehead. “ I’ll be waiting too.” Tamara got off the bed and she crossed the room. She was pretty sure he had put what she was looking for there.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji’s nose twitched a little. He felt the urge to sneeze coming on him and he lifted his hand to brush whatever was right by his nose away. His fingers touched what at first felt like silk, and he opened a bleary eye to see what it was. His vision swam for a minute and he groaned as his head spun as well. What happened to cause this? Surely he hadn't tried drinking Brook under the table again?

He chanced it again, though he noticed his sight was hazy. All he could see to his right was a blob of brown resting beside him on the pillow. A peaches and cream complexion came into view as well, along with a long aquiline nose. " Mara?" he rasped in confusion. Sanji's eyes widened. He sounded terrible! A coughing fit suddenly struck him and he bolted upwards. Every hack made his chest and back burn!

Tamara bolted up just as quickly in confusion, suddenly pulled from her slumber, though she quickly grabbed a pitcher of water and a glass from her shelf. Sanji was breathing heavily as she sat beside him and tears of relief streaked her face. " Easy now, not too fast, okay?" she whispered as he took the offered glass from her.

" What happened?" Sanji asked her once he had finished the cup. " I thought I was dreaming for a while there."

" You took a shot meant for me, Sanji." Tamara replied softly. It was taking every ounce of her self control not to throw her arms around him right now. " I've been worried sick about you for the last four days..."

Sanji's brow creased and he pulled Tamara into his arms. " Is everyone else alright?" he inquired. He remembered the pirate attack in the middle of the night, seeing the gunman approaching Tamara from behind. Everything else after that was hazy.

" For the most part." Tamara nuzzled his neck, feeling assured in his gentle grasp.

Sanji nodded and Tamara sat upright again. " Why were you at the bedside then? There's more than enough room for both of us, you know?"

Tamara blushed. " I didn't want to chance agitating your wounds. You know damn well how I have to sleep beside you and I didn't want to run the risk of waking up covered in blood either." She explained. In all honesty, Tamara had barely slept the last couple of days.

Sanji couldn't deny her that one and he settled back against the pillows. " Get into bed Mara. You need your rest too." He whispered.

Tamara sighed in defeat and she did as he asked of her. She turned on her side and Sanji spooned around her, leaving her to sigh at the contact. She had really missed this the last few nights. " Good night Sanji." She whispered tiredly.

Sanji pressed a gentle kiss into her shoulder. " Good night Mara."

 

* * *

  
  
The Thousand Sunny docked in Sensenbor the next day and Tamara sighed as she pulled out a thin box. It held the shards of her broken saber and she had heard that there were talented smiths here in Sensenbor from some of the travelers when they had passed through Romoria. She couldn't get passed the feeling that she needed to bring it with her. Sanji stood behind her with a curious look on his face.

" What's in there, hun?" He asked her. He pulled on his shirt and Sanji hissed a little as the muscles in his chest and back protested the movement. He didn't complain however. Sanji knew he'd gladly do it all over again if it meant Tamara's continued safety.

" My sword. I'm hoping to find a smith in town that they can repair it." Tamara replied ever so softly. She opened the box and she swallowed the lump in her throat at the sight of the four pieces the blade was in. The blood had not been washed away after all this time and Tamara felt her shoulders quiver as she recalled that horrible night.

Tamara closed the box again and she got to her feet. Sanji gently rubbed her back with his palm and she looked over her shoulder at him. " You shouldn't even be up and moving right now."

" Someone has to do the grocery shopping." Sanji shot back with a playful smirk. " Besides, I'm not leaving your side. You're going to be looking for Aden as well right?"

Tamara nodded with a small smile. Hopefully she would be able to get some leads on her twin.

 

* * *

  
  
Deep blue eyes were watching his movements as he slammed his hammer down onto the white hot metal he was working. Sweat, ash, and grime covered his handsome face and he took a second to wipe the moisture from his brow.

" How's that claymore coming Dean?"

" It's coming along well. I'm going to start shaping the fulcrum soon once I get the forge a little hotter." Dean Lionshard replied with a smile. " Are you going to keep on my ass like this all day gramps?"

" You should know me well enough by now, boy." The older man answered as he came over by Dean. " You remind me of your mother when you smile like that. You take after your father though. Sound like him too."

Dean chuckled. " So you've told me a million times over the last few years. Did you know them well Jairo?" Dean shoved the unfinished blade back into the flames and he walked over to the bellows. He needed to get the forge as hot as he could stand it.

Kenshin Jairo nodded as he pulled the claymore from the forge. " It's not wide enough."

" I already took that into consideration. I'm going to do that as I'm shaping the fulcrum. Don't worry Gramps. I got this." Dean chuckled. " Besides, I'd rather look like my real parents than the bastard that called himself my father." Dean's frow furrowed a little as he stoked the flames higher.

He'd never forgive that bastard for what he had done.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji and Tamara were combing through the marketplace and Sanji smiled as they came over to a flower stall.

" Buy your pretty little miss some roses?" The old woman running the cart asked with a cheesy grin. " Or maybe some lilies? She's bound to love them."

" I'll take some of the chrysanthemums if you don't mind." Sanji replied and Tamara smiled affectionately. She gave him a kiss on the lips for that even as he handed her the pale purple mums.

The peddler smiled as well. " When are the two of you getting married?" She asked. " Such a lovely engagement ring that she's wearing."

Sanji was floored by the question and one look at Tamara's left hand showed the woman's words to be true. She was wearing her engagement ring again.

" We haven't set a date yet." Tamara replied as she met Sanji's eyes. " There's a couple of things we need to take care of before we can do that."

The two of them were silent as they continued walking through the town and Sanji swallowed thickly. How had he not noticed that she was wearing it again? They came to a pause by an apple tree and he took her left hand in his. Sanji brushed his lips against her knuckles, and he felt a few tears prickle at the corner of his eyes. " I thought that..."

" You were right." Tamara interrupted. " Besides, this'll keep anyone else from trying to make a move while we're here." Both of them laughed a little and Sanji dipped his head down to kiss her chastely on the lips.

" Trust me, there won't be any trouble there." he replied with a smile. Sanji wanted nothing more now than to sweep Tamara off back to the ship to show her just how happy she had made him. " Let's go find that smith so you can get your sword fixed."

" Groceries first." Tamara retorted and Sanji sighed. " Besides, I want to get these back to the ship so that they don't wilt." She took a quick sniff of the chrysanthemums in her hand and she smiled. She loved their soft, mellow scent.

" Okay, groceries first." Sanji agreed, though he had a gleam in his eye. Looks like he didn't have to sweep Tamara back off after all.

 

* * *

 

Zoro was on the ship when Tamara and Sanji came back on board and he smirked knowingly. The rest of the crew had taken notice to the ring sitting on her left hand, though none had commented on it. Zoro figured that Tamara must have realized how short life on the ocean could be when she nearly lost Sanji earlier that week. He was right on the berry too. " Any luck finding a smith yet?"

" I haven't started asking to be honest, but I'll be heading back off momentarily. I just need to go put these in our room before I do that." Tamara replied with a smile.

" You mind staying here then Sanji? I need to find someone to do some maintenance on my blades anyways." Zoro asked the chef. If they both could find a smith, it would save time in the long run.

Sanji's brow furrowed. Someone needed to be here when the groceries were delivered. Sanji sure as hell didn't want Luffy getting his hands on any of the food that he had purchased that morning. " I was going to go with her, but I'll stick around then. Just don't leave her alone, alright?" That also cut into his plans for what he wanted to do with Tamara in the privacy of their bedroom. Sanji couldn't deny the logic of the two heading out together to find someone to tend to their swords. Hm...Maybe he could ask Tamara to get his knives tended to while they were at it.

Zoro nodded as he got to his feet. " I'll be waiting for you on the dock then, Tam."

" I'll be there in a few minutes." she replied chipperly. Tamara smirked as she looked over her shoulder as Sanji followed her to their bedroom. " I know what you're thinking, and no. Not right now. Chopper hasn't even cleared you for that kind of activity yet anyway."

" I wasn't thinking that." Sanji lied. His eyes shifted however as they swept over her body of their own accord. Damn, he just wanted to...

" You've been giving me the bedroom eyes for the last twenty minutes, Sanji." She retorted with a smirk. She planted a kiss on his cheek and then leaned in to whisper in his ear. " Get Chopper to clear you and I'll change my mind." she purred huskily. Damn if she couldn't use a round or two with him between the sheets after the last couple of days.

Sanji groaned as his cock immediately sprang to life at her sinfully dulcet voice. " That's not fair, Mara." he growled. He was tempted to just bend her over the side of the bed right now anyway.

" Nothing's fair in love and war, Sanji." Tamara said as she walked towards the door. " I'll see you in a bit, alright?"

" Just be careful out there, alright?" Sanji pulled Tamara back as he gave her another kiss and she hummed happily.

" Damn I missed you the last couple of days." she whispered against his lips.

Sanji smiled. " Get going or else I'm going to be tempted even more than I already am now to make that moss head wait even longer." He laughed as Tamara shook her head.

" You're incorrigible." Tamara chuckled as she gave him one more parting kiss. " Love you."

" Love you too. I'll see you soon." Sanji replied as a warmth spread through him from his heart. It had been a long time since he had felt that kind of happiness settle over him. " Oh! Can you grab my knives from the kitchen while you're heading out? I've kept them in good condition, but they're long overdue for servicing."

Tamara nodded with a smile as she walked out the door. Well, first stop was the kitchen then.

 

* * *

 

Zoro looked at Tamara surprised as she came down the ladder after a couple of minutes. " I won't lie, I was expecting him to pin you down for a quickie." he chortled.

Tamara busted out laughing at this and she shouldered her bag again. " He almost did." she admitted. " Come on, I was pretty sure I could smell smoke and burning wood over this way." She pointed to their left and Zoro followed without complaint. The two made their way through the town and Tamara looked around at all the smithys about. This island must be very popular for blade making...

Without warning, someone shoved Tamara roughly as he moved past her and she felt Zoro catch her before she fell.

" Watch where you're going asshole!" she snapped. Her eyes were narrowed on his back as he turned to face her. The man was taller than both Zoro and herself, but that didn't deter her. She had faced off against bigger fish that this brute.

" And just who do you think you're talking to, little lady?" he sneered and his eyes roamed over Tamara lasciviously. She was a pretty little thing, besides the scar on her face of course.

Tamara felt Zoro bristle as he noticed the way he was looking at her. " Calm down, moss head. I've got this." she whispered.

" Tam, I'm going to beat his ass in Sanji's stead if he tries anything." he hissed back. His right hand was already over Wado as he was speaking. Tamara pushed him away gently and he stepped off to the side. It was a clear sign that he needed to back off and let her handle it herself.

" Who do you think I'm talking to, lumps for brains? I don't care much for men like you as it stands, much less the fact that you have no qualms hitting a lady." Tamara replied nastily. Her temper was already through the roof at the fact that this bastard was  _still_  undressing her with his eyes.

" Ain't no such thing as a lady. Just whores and bitches if you ask me." the man said as he licked his lips. " As for hitting a woman, why they hell should I care about something as trivial as that? If any woman pisses me off, I'm gonna hit 'em. You're no exception to the rule either."

Tamara scoffed. " I can promise you wouldn't be able to lay a single finger on me." she hissed scathingly as she put her hands in her pockets.

Zoro tensed. Tamara was getting ready to attack this bastard if he made a move toward her. He knew from experience just how much of Sanji's fighting style she could use.

The man's eyes blazed with anger. This little tart certainly had a big mouth. " I'm the last man in this town you want to mess with, girly. They don't call me the demon of Sensenbor for nothing. On top of that, you're unarmed and I have an advantage over you. I know a little bit about Denebran royal swordplay. In fact, I was part of the coup de tat when the princess had all those pirates kill her family. You're looking at the man that took the queen's head. Marco Reigns."

Zoro's eyes narrowed. Reigns was a wanted pirate and he had a decent sized bounty on his head. Somewhere in the forty million berry range if he remembered right. Well, Tamara could collect the bounty if she wanted. The navy had no clue she was a member of the Strawhat Pirates. " Mara..." Zoro said warningly. She was poised to strike and he could all but feel her seething anger rolling off of her in waves.

Tamara's eyes were fine slits. This bastard had been part of her family's massacre? She knew he hadn't killed her mother, but the fact that he was trying to make such a claim royally irked the hell out of her. " Let me use one of yours." she said to Zoro. This man was a pirate and would probably know Zoro by name. She held her hand out and she heard Zoro sigh.

" Mara, he's got a forty five million berry price on his head, you sure about this?" Zoro asked her as he handed her one of his katana.

" Bounty hunters then?" Reigns guffawed. " Ain't no bounty hunter ever been able to take me down." His gaze settled on Tamara again and she took a readied stance. One hand was even behind her back. " You're not going to be able to do anything like that."

" Try me." Tamara seethed. Whispers were starting to reach her ears from the shopkeepers and the villagers looking on. It seemed as if they had smelled the fight coming from a kilometer away. Good, at least she had room to work with if the situation called for it. " Why don't you show me a little bit of the denebran swordplay you learned."

" It's your funeral." Reigns sneered.

 

* * *

 

Sanji suddenly felt a chill wash over him and he looked out towards the town. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone had really, really pissed Tamara off. Sanji went stiff for a second. If someone had pissed Tamara off, that meant she was probably getting ready to fight.

Shit!

Sanji quickly ran from the kitchen and he looked up on the second level. " Robin! Are you still on board?" he shouted.

Robin was jolted from her book as she suddenly sat up straight. Why did Sanji sound so panicked all of the sudden? " Yes, Sanji. I'm still here." she answered. " Is everything alright?"

" I need to go check on something. If the delivery comes before I get back, please show them where to put it!" Sanji said hastily as he dashed off the ship.  _They would have gone to the left where we smelled the smoke coming from earlier. I just gotta head that way._ Sanji thought quickly.

 

* * *

  
  
 Zoro watched as Tamara circled Reigns patiently and he yawned. " Any day now would be nice. We do have things to do today, Mara."

" Just be patient." Tamara shot back. " You want me to get that bounty right?" Her eyes were eerily calm as she kept them locked on Reigns and her sword hand hadn't moved an inch.

_She's only shown me little bits and pieces of the actual royal sword play over the last couple weeks. She's not even taking a position to use the black leg technique either. No, she's more than likely going to school this ass on how royal swordplay is supposed to be._  Zoro thought.

Reigns rushed in and he sent a devastating slash at Tamara but she was nowhere to be found when he brought his blade down. He turned to the right and he swung again, only to find the tip of Tamara's blade just lightly poke him in the side. Reign's eyes went wide. She was to his left...

" You're wide open." Tamara said flatly. Her gaze was still eerily calm and Reigns swore he felt the vein in his temple start throbbing. The bitch still had her right hand behind her back!

Reigns spun again though Tamara was nowhere to be found within reach. She had stepped back and her eyes narrowed on Reigns in disgust. " If you knew anything about denebran royal swordplay, you would have had made much better moves than that and you would have countered much faster." Tamara darted in herself this time and Reigns' eyes went wide at the speed she displayed. She twisted her wrist just so and his sword clattered to the ground out of his now useless hand. She spun around him and Reigns screamed as her blade bit into the back of his ankles. The bitch had just kept him from running.

Tamara came to a stop before him and her blade dug into his throat. " You don't know jack shit." she hissed with utter disdain.

Reigns looked at Tamara as if she were a demon in women's clothing. " Who....Who the hell are you?!" he demanded with a bellow. He couldn't get to his feet, and he only had one hand that was still useable.

" Here you go. Just stay here. I'll get him to the Navy headquarters." Tamara said flatly as she handed Zoro back his sword.

" I promised your fiance I wasn't leaving your side. That was the only way I could get him to agree to him staying behind this time." Zoro shot back.

Tamara lifted Reigns onto her shoulder with a grunt and she smirked at Zoro. " You and the navy don't get along, remember?" she said smugly. " I'll only be a few minutes. Besides, we need to find a damn good smith, remember? You can start looking and I'll find you soon enough." She waved over her shoulder as she began walking off.

" Tch...Fine." Zoro groused as he began walking in the opposite direction. He was going to check out a few of the shop in the immediate area anyways. As he was browsing, Zoro's mood kept getting blacker and blacker by the minute. It was that damn smirk! It was just like....GAH! Thinking about it was only serving to piss him off more nonetheless! Zoro was grumbling to himself about a certain seamstress and that damn fancy brows cook for the better part of ten minutes.

Sometimes Tamara and Sanji were a little too much alike.


	6. The Search for a Smith

Sanji looked at Tamara in shock as he watched her cart off the man she had just defeated. What the hell had she been thinking, taking on a man of his size? On the same note, Sanji begrudgingly admitted to himself that Tamara had to be allowed to fight her own battles. It was the only way she was going to get stronger.

Then why the hell did he hate the idea so much?

Sanji saw Zoro shake his head in exasperation as Tamara walked away. Why the hell wasn’t he going with her?! That bastard! Sanji had told Zoro that he needed to stay with her at all times! “ Zoro! What the hell are you thinking?!” Sanji bellowed as he advanced on the swordsman. His foot came up to clobber Zoro upside the head and suddenly unbelievable pain spread like wildfire through his body. What the hell had happened?!

“ You’re really not in any shape to be picking a fight with me, love cook.” Zoro said with a sigh. His finger was just barely digging into Sanji’s chest where he had been shot. “ Tamara’s got her reasons to go off on her own. To be honest, it’s for the best that she does do this on her own. That man claimed that he killed her mother.” He pulled his hand away and Sanji’s foot still hit him upside the head. “ Watch it, dumbass prince!”

“ Don’t call me a dumbass, you shoddy swordsman.” Sanji growled out. Damn this man always seemed to bring out the worst in him! His entire torso was on fire now and there was little Sanji could do to stop the pain flaring through him.  _There’s no way in hell Chopper’s going to clear me for anything right now. Damn it! Wait, I can always use….._ Sanji thought with a scowl. “ He was part of the pirate force that helped Magnus with the slaughter in Denebra five years ago?” He pulled his pack from his breast pocket and he lit a cigarette. Okay. That made a little more sense. “ He’s got a bounty on his head then too?” The exhale did a little to help calm his racing heart. He was worried as hell that someone else was going to hurt her. It did raise one other question. Tamara had said that Magnus had hanged all the pirates that helped with the coup de tat. How had this one escaped?

“ Yes to both questions. Tamara’s the only logical choice to turn him in, on top of the fact that she’s the one that beat him fair and square. The Navy has no clue who she is or that she’s part of our crew. For all they know, she’s an up and coming bounty hunter.” Zoro replied. He scowled as some of the smoke got into his face and he leveled a glare on the chef as he waved his hand to clear the air. “ Do you have to blow that crap my way?”

“ Can’t help the way that the air flows.” Sanji said with a smirk as he exhaled again. “ Is she coming right back?”

“ She promised as such. I need to start looking for a smith however. Did you want to head back to the ship?” Zoro eyes were looking over the wares of a smith and he clucked his tongue in disapproval. They were all crap.

Sanji weighed the options. He wanted to stay here with Tamara to make sure she didn’t get into anymore trouble, but he knew that he had to get back to the ship before Luffy could get his hands on any of the food that came on the delivery. “ I’d better head back. Quite frankly I don’t trust Luffy with all the food we were able to get today. Don’t mention anything to Tamara about me being here. She’ll kick my ass for not taking it easy.” Sanji grumbled. His face fell at the thought of crossing his fiance’s ire. She was pretty damn scary in her own right, despite her diminutive size.

“ Mum’s the word.” Zoro reiterated blandly. “ You might want to head back now. She’s coming this way. I can smell those flowers you bought for her coming closer.”

“ Right. I’ll see you both later then. You had better not let anything happen to her or I swear I’m going to fillet you.” Sanji said as he began walking away. He paused for a moment before leaving and his eyes leveled seriously on Zoro’s. It was killing his pride that he was asking another man to protect the woman he loved. “ I think I’ve proven the lengths I’m willing to go to keep her safe, Zoro. You had better treat her like the princess she is. There’s no telling what I’ll do if I find out otherwise.”

“ Yeah, yeah. Got it.” Zoro replied again, his tone terse. “ Get moving. I’ve got work to do here.” His brow was furrowed in his ire as Sanji left and the swordsman was still grumbling under his breath when Tamara made her appearance beside him again.

“ Any luck?” Tamara asked him. Her eyes were scanning over the wares of the booth that Zoro was at. “ I guess not.” They continued browsing through most of the shops and Tamara scowled the longer they went. None of these men were flying by either of their standards.

“ Sword wielders of your apparent caliber won’t find what you’re looking for here. You need to find Kenshin Jairo.” an old man said while he played chess with another old man as Zoro passed by their shop. Both were ancient by the look of them. “ You’re wielding Wado, Shusui, and Kitetsu, right? Jairo is the man you need to see for your swords if you want them repaired.”

“ You know your swords, old timer I’ll grant you that.” Zoro replied. “ Any directions on how to get to him? Hey, Tam! Over here!”

The first thing she saw was the chess board as she came up and she began looking around the rest of the shop. Seriously, Zoro called her over for all this outdated stock? “ Checkmate in three.” Tamara said absently. She had barely glanced at the board.

The first man looked at the board in shock and he blanched. She was right about the amount of moves until he was in check mate. “ Wow, you must be pretty good to have figured that out.” he whispered. “ Care to play a game?” He gave Tamara a bright smile and she sighed.

“ I don’t see why not. Any reason why you called me over here Zoro?” Tamara asked as the board was reset. The other man offered her his seat and Tamara smiled him as he pushed in the chair for her. “ Thank you very much.”

“ These guys might have a lead for us on a smith.” Zoro replied. His brow rose curiously at the speed in which Tamara was playing. Hell, he’d give anything to see a game between her and Sanji. Knowing how smart the man was, he’d probably give Tamara a good run for her money.

“ Really now?” Tamara paused a moment before she made her next move and she laughed as the old man before her began swearing as she captured one of his bishops. " Is he honestly any good?"

" Jairo is the best smith on this island. Most men come here wishing to apprentice under him, but they don't make the cut. Ah, check." the old timer said with a small laugh.

" WHO?!" Tamara demanded in her shock. Her attitude had changed very suddenly and it had Zoro a little worried. " What's his full name?"

" Kenshin Jairo. He and his grandson live up far on the hillside there. OH! Wait a moment, what about the game?!" the old man called out to Tamara as she took off running in the direction he had pointed in. He laughed when Tamara came careening back if only for a moment to move her last piece.

" Check mate!" she said with a broad grin. Tamara gave the old man a kiss on the top of his bald head and he blushed brightly though he was smiling as broadly as the Grand Line. " Thank you for the directions!" she called out over her shoulder as she took off again.

Who would have thought that old goat was still alive, much less here!

" Care to tell me what's going on Tam?" Zoro questioned as he kept pace beside her.

" Kenshin Jairo is the man that forged this blade to begin with." Tamara began. Her eyes held something that Zoro wasn't used to seeing there. Hope was burning brightly now. " It used to be my grandmother's blade, and I inherited it from her after her death. Her name is Cygnus, also known as the Star Swan. He's more than likely the only choice to reforge it!" Tamara exclaimed happily. She couldn’t help but jump high mid stride in her glee. " I can't believe that man is still alive! I’ve known him since I was a child before my grandmother passed on, but damn! That old goat was as old as she was and Grammy was in her seventies then!" Then again, she remembered that he had come to visit Denebra not long ago either.

Zoro whistled low as he followed her. " That would put him in his nineties now, wouldn't it?"

" More than likely. Not only that, you're swords are probably going to be in the best shape they've ever been in once he gets through with them. The same with Sanji's knives. Dear god, I can't believe it...Oh shit!" Tamara came to screeching halt and she swallowed hard. " He might know where Aden is. They're both here on Sensenbor, so it would make sense that Jairo would possibly know him."

" You're starting to ramble Tamara." Zoro said with a chuckle. " To be honest, I haven't seen you like this in a while, not since Sanji showed you that letter at least." He immediately regretted his words when her face fell. " I was trained to notice things like that Tam. It's not that obvious alright? But you've been a little more driven than you have been happy for the last month. Last week certainly didn't help matters either."

Tamara shook her head. " I'm okay, really. Let's just get going, alright?" she said softly. Zoro was right that she had been more driven than ever. Ever since Sanji had shown her that letter from her parents, ever since she had learned Aden was alive, Tamara wanted to get stronger so that she could beat Magnus. That had been the goal she had been striving for for the last month. “ Hey, over there!” Tamara pointed to the right where a cottage could be seen. The smell of a forge was unmistakable as well along with the telltale ringing of a hammer striking metal. Someone was definitely hard at work out here.

Zoro and Tamara came to a stop and she looked around in awe. Blades of all shapes and sizes were perched everywhere, some needing sharpening, the others completed and gleaming splendidly in the afternoon sun. “ Wow…” Zoro whispered. Even the blunt ones were nothing but works of art. “ Hello?!”

“ Go the hell away, I’m busy right now!” came a man’s voice. He was probably almost as old as Zoro. Tamara’s brow furrowed at the sound though. He sounded so familiar…

_" Get the princess!"_  No...That wasn't his voice. The man speaking didn't have as much of a baritone as the man who had rescued her.

“ We’re looking for Kenshin Jairo.” Tamara replied. “ Is he here?” She turned the corner to the man talking hard at work at his anvil. “ Aha! I knew you sounded close by.”

The smith looked up, immediately displeased to be interrupted. “ Gramps stepped out about an hour ago and unfortunately he’s not going to be back for a day or two. He’s making a delivery over to the other side of the island. I’m not taking on any jobs while he’s gone so forget it.”

“ Tch, rude much?” Zoro shot at him. There was something about this man that was already rubbing him the wrong way. He was very sure of that.

“ Zoro, shut it.” Tamara warned. “ My name is Tamara and this is my friend Zoro. Are you sure you can’t even give us the tiniest bit of help? What I need is probably out of the question but…”

The smith groaned. Damn it, he couldn’t say no when a lady asked for help. Old man Jairo was going to have his head on a platter if they wanted something custom made. “ What is it?” Dean asked gruffly.

“ Can you sharpen these knives for my fiance? And repair his blades too?” Tamara said with a smile as she pointed over her shoulder to her moss haired friend. The man was probably mostly bark, she mused, despite outward appearances at least. She was sure that he was probably a nice guy.

“ The name’s Dean by the way.” he grumbled as he looked over the knives. His eyes took in the edge of the blade and he nodded approvingly. Whoever had owned these had gotten them second hand, but they had been taken care of very well. He’d have to wager these kitchen knives initially came from the south blue, as that was the only area he had never been through. Dean had come from the north blue, had sailed through the west blue into the east blue, and from there they had come to the Grand Line. They had only settled here at Sensenbor about two years ago. Dean had never seen this kind of craftsmanship when he had started traveling with the old man about seven or eight years ago. Had it really been that long? “ Sharpening all of these won’t be any trouble. Two hours max. You mind?” Dean motioned to Zoro’s three blades and the swordsman handed him all three sheathed katana. Dean’s blue eyes went wide. “ Holy shit…You’re carrying Wado?! Damn, Gramps would shit his pants if he saw this blade here!” Dean smiled brightly as he unsheathed the blade to look at it and both Zoro and Tamara chuckled at his statement. “ Why don’t you two sit down and relax. I’m almost done shaping the fulcrum of the claymore I’m working on and then I can get to work on those for ya.”

Zoro and Tamara smiled as they sat at the table. Well, that had a good turnaround at least.

 

* * *

 

Sanji smiled as he looked at the completely full pantry. It had been a while since it was this full and he looked over at the clock. Hopefully Zoro and Tamara would be back soon. Nami had said that they would be staying here at Sensenbor for a week. Well, that would give him and Tamara a chance to go on a couple of dates. After being cooped up on the ship for so long, Sanji was itching to do some walking.

" Hey Sanji! Is it lunch time yet?" Luffy declared as he burst into the kitchen. 

Sanji laughed a little. " Yeah, I'll get something going. How does some cold cuts sound? It's pretty hot out today."

" Woohoo! Meat!" Luffy exclaimed and Sanji laughed again. Sometimes the captain was too easy to please.

Sanji went to reach for one of his carving knives and he grabbed open air. " Huh? Oh damn. I forgot, I asked Tamara to take my knives with her." he muttered. " Hey Luffy, did you spot any good restaurants in town? I can't do anything here in the kitchen at the moment."

" Why?" Luffy pouted. His face was set in a petulant scowl and he crossed his arms.

" Mara's got my kitchen knives right now. How about this..." Sanji began as he pulled his jacket back on. "...We'll go back into the market and find the biggest cuts we can get our hands on for dinner and we can get some lunch while we're there. I've got a bit left over from the grocery budget and besides, we can splurge a little tonight."

" Alright! Hey Nami! Robin! Usopp!" Luffy called out as he booked it out of the kitchen.

_Definitely too easy to please._  Sanji thought with a chuckle as he followed the captain outside.

  

* * *

 

 

Dean was uneasy as he watched Tamara and Zoro leave to head back to their ship. There was something nagging incessantly at the back of his mind about her. Something familiar, ridiculously familiar. What ever it was, Dean wasn't all too sure he wanted anything to do with it. He walked into his house when they were out of sight and quietly he made his way to the kitchen. Everything had taken long enough earlier that Tamara had made lunch for the three of them, but Dean was surprised to see that not only was kitchen spotless; it was much cleaner than either himself or Jairo had left it in a long time, but there was a boxed meal waiting for him on the counter.

 

* * *

 

 

A soft smile crossed his face. Zoro and Tamara had admitted they were both pirates, but they were unlike any that Dean had ever met before. Dean dug in with gusto, the food still tasted wonderful. " If she's this good a cook, makes me wonder just how good her fiance is." he murmured to himself. Tamara had mentioned that she was going to marry one of the best chef's sailing the seas. " Nonetheless, the bastard certainly bagged himself a keeper." Dean's brow furrowed as he thought over what Tamara had said earlier. That what she needed done would have to wait for the old man to return from his errand. What could it be?

It was probably better not to dwell on that, mused as he began walking towards the shower. His thoughts turned to Tamara once more. She had looked familiar for some reason, even though he was positive that he had never met her before. There was something about her that called to him, not in a romantic way either. His ocean blue eyes turned up to the mirror and Dean looked long and hard at his reflection. Jairo always said he looked like his real parents, though he had never met them before. Who had they been?

It didn't matter now. They were dead and gone. The man he had known as his father had killed the only family he had ever known. Dean couldn't help but wonder if his foster mother was still alive too. He hoped she was. She had been the only mother he had ever known, had been such a sweet, mellow woman.

It didn't stop the tears from coming as he thought of the tragedy that had befallen five years ago however. He missed his home, missed watching the horses as they ran over the fields.

" I swear I'm going to kill that bastard if I ever get my hands on him." Dean hissed.  
  


 

* * *

  
  
It was nearly sundown when Tamara and Zoro came back onto the boat and they heard Luffy announce their arrival. What had him so impatient, Tamara wondered. She was confused when she got a scowl from the majority of the crew on deck and she shrugged, feeling completely confused as to what she could have done to earn their ire when everyone had been in such good spirits this morning.

Sanji walked out from the kitchen and Tamara laughed at the dark look on his face. Luffy was right behind him pestering the poor cook to hurry up and start cooking the rest of their meal. " Did you guys find someone?" he grunted.

" Yes we did. Here. Before Luffy really starts in on it. I think I now know why I've had glares shot my way since I got back. It's my fault Luffy's been going bonkers for food." she giggled. Tamara handed Sanji the bundle that carried the tools of his trade and she smiled as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying back to the galley. " Hey Nami, a word alone if you don't mind?"

Nami sighed as she got up. " Sure thing Tamara. Thank goodness you two finally got back. What took so long anyway?" she asked as they made their way towards the library.

" Zoro's swords. Did you honestly want me to leave him to his own devices considering how easy it is for him to get lost?" Tamara giggled. She opened the door and she smiled at the sight of all the books. She had added quite a few of her own since she had joined the crew a few months ago.

Nami's face drooped a bit. " Point taken. Why are we coming in here anyway? All of us know that the safe is in here."

Tamara smirked as she slid the bag from her shoulder and she began fumbling a little for the zipper. " Do you want to kiss me now or later?" She asked the navigator as she opened her pack. " Finding a smith wasn't all that I did today in town."

 

 

 

* * *

 

Usopp was currently tinkering with something he was working on for Chopper when Nami's scream carried into the room. He practically jumped out of his seat, and he held his racing heart as her voice continued to shrilly and excitedly proclaim her undying love for Tamara.

" What the hell did I miss?" he mumbled to himself.

" Did you hear that?" Franky asked as he came into the room a moment later.

" Yeah. Don't know what Tamara did to get such a reaction out of Nami." Usopp sighed as he shook his head. " Think it has something to do with money or treasure?" He gave a knowing smirk to Franky and the shipwright laughed.

" Knowing that little miser? Definitely." He chortled. " We might as well head up. You know how Sanji is about meal times." Again Franky snickered. " I'll bet you anything he's got a bunch of pervy thoughts running through his mind about those two right now.

It was Usopp's turn to laugh raucously. " You're probably right." He set his tools down and Usopp stretched as he stood. How long had he been at it? " Might as well go find out what's going on."

The dining room was already full of boisterous activity when Franky and Usopp entered the room. A large roast was the crowning glory of the table, though both their stomachs growled at the sight of the rest of the accompanying feast. Sanji had gone all out tonight.

 

" What was all that racket about earlier?" Franky asked as he sat down. One look at Tamara made him smile. She was wearing a cocky smile as she rested her feet against the table, thus leaning her chair back. It had been a while since Franky had seen her like this, the last time being was the day before they had left Romoria. He had last seen her smile like that just before she presented Nami with her wedding dress. The confidence that she had then had all but oozed from her. He was glad to see it back, even if it was only temporary.

" Nami found out about the bounty Tamara snagged in town today." Zoro replied with a chuckle. " I was in here when we all heard it. You should have seen the look on fancy brow's face."

One look at Sanji relayed that yes, he had the exact reaction that they had surmised he did. His cheeks were still tinged a bit pink in his embarrassment, and if he didn’t know any better, Franky was sure he could see some dried blood near Sanji’s nostrils that he hadn’t been able to wipe away.

" Come off it already." Sanji grumbled even as he cast a glare at Tamara. She was going to put him into an early grave if she kept that up. He was eating his own supper as he put the finishing touches on the food he was cooking. There wasn’t anyway in hell he was going to let the knowledge of those recipes go to waste, or what they could do for him either. He was barely halfway through this bowl and he was already feeling less tightness where he had been shot.

" It's not our fault you're a perv!" Zoro called out over the din. Again everyone began laughing, and Sanji's brow twitched in his ire.

" What was that moss head?!"

" Looking to pick a fight, you stupid cook?!"

Sanji was getting to retort once more when Tamara shoved a dinner roll into his mouth as she came up beside him to help him finish setting the table. He looked down at it cross eyed until he began chewing to get it out the way. Sanji wasn’t anywhere near through yet!

" Both of you can it! Can we get through one meal without the two of you fighting?" she snarked. While her eyes were casting hellfire and brimstone at both parties, the scowl on her face was all but telling Sanji to let it die.

As much as he loved her, that was a hell no.

" No." came the reply from both parties.

Tamara groaned even as everyone else began laughing once more. So much for one peaceful meal, she grumbled under her breath as she sat down. Ah well, if anything, Sanji and Zoro certainly made it lively.

  

* * *

 

 

Tamara stretched lazily the next morning and she yawned tiredly. Almost instantly, she felt Sanji's arm curl around her and he groaned a little bit as he too started waking up. " We can sleep in this morning you realize." She yawned again as she snuggled against him. " It's not like we have anything to do today."

Sanji opened a bleary eye and he smirked. The thoughts that Tamara and Nami had put into his head last night were all he had been able to think and dream about. " I can think of a few things." He purred. He pressed his morning erection against her and Tamara groaned this time. One of his hands slid over her hip and between her thighs to tease her all the more. Sure Chopper had told him not to over do it, but then again, Sanji hadn't been the best at following orders. Not only that, he was feeling much better than he had in the last couple of days.

 " Sanji..." Tamara whined as his fingers expertly rolled like ocean waves over her nethers. " I'm not even awake yet."

Sanji chuckled sexily in her ear and he gently nibbled on the outer shell of it a moment later. " Think of this as our morning cardio then."

Before Tamara even had a chance to move, Sanji had her leg up and his fingers moved the crotch of her knickers to the side. Just as quick, he was sheathed inside of her. Shit! When had he even had a chance to free himself?

_I’m gonna kick his ass if he hasn’t been okayed by Chopper._  She thought numbly as Sanji rolled his hips deliciously, twirling his cock a bit inside her and making her jaw go slack.  
  


 

* * *

 

Zoro couldn't help but chuckle as Sanji held his head a bit when he walked from the living quarters to the kitchen. Even from here Zoro could see the goose egg that Sanji's fiance had given him. " Got put in the doghouse huh?" He asked knowingly. That had happened enough between him and Nami for him to know.

 " Yep." Sanji replied. The hit that Tamara had given him when she found out that Chopper hadn't cleared him for rough physical activity had been worth making love to her that morning. Especially considering that Tamara had pinned him to the mattress and had her way with him after a few minutes. The only reason Chopper would have disclosed that was because he also scolded Sanji for it when the doctor had needed to come and fix his stitches that they had busted. On the same note, there were less this time than there had been when Chopper had stitched up the initial wound. " Worth every minute." He added with a smirk. Sanji wasn't about to feel guilty for expressing his desire for her.

" That's assuming you last longer than three." Zoro scoffed teasingly. He had heard them enough to know that Sanji's stamina was unreal.

" Ask Tamara." Sanji retorted, that same smirk still in place. The two laughed it off and Zoro's head flew forward as something hit him. Nami was standing on the second level glaring at both of them. Tamara must have told her about why Sanji had been hit in the first place." Men will be men, Nami. Don't forget that." Sanji teased her. His gaze grew curious the longer Nami glared at him, obviously waiting for something now. What had she thrown at Zoro? Without warning, something hit him in the back of the head and Sanji began cursing up a storm. Nami had used her cyclone tempo to hit both of them.

" You two are idiots." Nami hissed under her breath. Those two were nothing short of incorrigible.Zoro sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. " Looks like you're not the only one in the doghouse." he groused.

Both men smiled a moment. " Definitely worth the laugh though." They busted out laughing again and Sanji began walking towards the ladder going to the docks. " Where you headed?"

" Just going to stroll around for a bit. That way Tamara has a chance to cool off. I love her, but I didn't realize how hard a kick she's got until I got it upside my head." Sanji was still smiling even as he spoke. His princess was certainly something else.

 

* * *

  
  
Tamara sighed as she looked at the dress form before her. This was going to be her magnum opus, the wedding dress that would make her dreams come true. Mr. Harrod must have sensed that she was already working on this, as he had sent along bolts of the finest white silk that he could get his hands on.  _" When will I get to see you in one of these?"_  Tamara felt a lump in her throat as she thought of him. She hoped he was well, that he had found another seamstress or tailor to help him while he recovered. She missed Harrod very much, he had been such a constant in her life for the last five years. " Hopefully soon..." she whispered into the empty room. " I promise you, you will get to see me in this dress, Mr. Harrod." There had been another box that Mr. Harrod had sent with her, and it was one that had Tamara perplexed. There had been gemstones inside of it, not pearls of different shapes and sizes as they were wont to use on the dresses they made. What was it that he wanted her to do with these stones? There were gleaming white diamonds, rich green emeralds, bright sparkly peridots, and pale purple amethysts. He had always told her she looked pretty in purple. There were also five spools of golden thread. It was pure, spun gold. Where the hell had he gotten such a thing?

Again, Tamara was confused why he had sent such delicate stones with her. They weren't very large, most were less than a carat and some were cut more like slivers as opposed to gems.

A knock on the craft room door stirred Tamara from her thoughts. " One second!" she called out. She didn't want to chance that it was Sanji coming in and seeing this dress.

" It's just me Tamara." Robin said cordially as she walked in. " Sanji asked me to come get you for lunch. You've been down here for hours."Tamara scowled in annoyance at the mention of her fiance. " I'm gonna kick him in the head again if I look at him." she grumbled. Tamara was none too happy with him and his antics this morning. Oh, she was definitely going to kick him again if she saw him. She adjusted the sheet she had thrown over the form and she huffed out a sigh in her ire.

Men!

" What's under there?" Robin asked curiously. She leaned against the drafting table; Robin had spotted some sketches of designs that the seamstress before her would probably have completed by week’s end. Especially the fetching one that she was glancing out now. She’d have to ask Tamara to make her a matching vest. It looked amazing!

The ire she felt was leaving her as Robin turned her direct line of thought from what had happened and she flicked an imaginary piece of dust from the cover. It was bad enough this project had been gaining as much dust as it had. " Hopefully what will be a dream come true. I've been working on this dress for almost three years now." Tamara said with a soft smile. " Oh! I've got the blanket you asked me to repair done by the way." She walked over to one of the shelves and she pulled it down for Robin to inspect it.

" Thank you. Nami and I were thinking of taking over the library later for a girls night tonight. You game?" Robin asked with a small smile. The poor girl was in desperate need of a girls night like they had had when they had been in Romoria. They had been so happy there, even if Tamara had been hiding her real identity from them at the time.

" Will there be alcohol involved?" Tamara asked with a smirk.

" You'd better believe it." Robin laughed. " We haven't had a chance to have that much girl time over the last week. I figured that this would be a good way for the three of us to unwind without the boys pestering us all the time as they have been for the last couple days."

" Sounds good. I could probably use a night with just the three of us." Tamara replied with a broad smile. " I'll whip up a couple of futons real quick for us and we'll make a night of it."

Robin returned the smile. " We'll be waiting then."   
  


 

* * *

  
  
Sanji was a bit surprised when he didn't see Tamara in their room a few hours later. She had made a brief appearance for supper at least, but had shot out the door just as fast. Curious, he walked from their bedroom to the one Zoro and Nami shared. He rapped his knuckles against the door and he heard a slight thud to answer it. Well, by the sound of things, he had woken Zoro up.

Again.

The door opened to reveal a bleary eyed swordsman and he gave a big yawn. " What?"

" Have you seen the girls? Tamara's not in bed by now and come to think of it, I haven't seen Robin or Nami." Sanji asked. He was trying to rack his brain on where they could be.

" Beats me." Zoro replied tiredly. " I'm going back to sleep if you're done." His eyes were already drooping the longer he was standing in the door.

Sanji rolled his eyes and he walked away. Well, scratch that thought.  _Might as well just head up to the crow's nest for a bit. I can't sleep right now, and on top of that I have no clue where the girl's are._  Sanji thought morosely as he turned back towards his room. Well, he could probably dress down for this anyway.

 

* * *

  
  
“ For the love of all that is good and holy, do not make me say it again.” Tamara squealed, utterly embarrassed, and she buried her face in her hands.

Nami and Robin were both howling with laughter against their futons. Both had tears of mirth streaming down their cheeks and Robin was clutching her sides as she struggled to stay upright. “ You just seriously hit that on the head!” Nami wheezed as another wave of giggles bubbled forth. She fell backwards, barely able to breathe she was laughing so hard, and she rolled against the futon. “ You just...HAHAHAHAHA!!! And the face you...HEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

In a moment of alcohol induced brilliance, the girls had decided to to imitations of the guys. Tamara had just asked Robin to see her panties while speaking like Brook. Even the face she had made would have probably been spot on if the skeleton were still alive.

“ Franky next!” Robin called out, her eyes wide in excitement. “ One of you two has to do Franky next!”

“ OH! I’ve got this one!” Nami said with a bright smile on her face. She quickly popped up to her feet and she mimed tipping up a pair of sunglasses. A second later she was popping his iconic pose. “ A man should always resolutely drink every last drop of his beer. Yow!” Suddenly she smirked, though Robin and Tamara were already laughing. Her voice had almost been spot on. Nami then threw both hands between her legs as if she were clutching something. “ Let go! Let go! I can’t stop my tears because of the pain!” Robin’s eyes went wide in remembrance as she started laughing all the more, though Tamara was puzzled beyond belief. “ Oh my god.” Robin laughed. “ You seriously just did not!”

“ Oh I did. Remember that Robin?” Nami teased.

“ What was that about?” Tamara asked in confusion. Robin was still laughing to hard too be able to get a straight answer out of her. She took a sip of her drink and she grunted a little at the burn of the alcohol as it went down. “ Oh that hits the spot.”

“ Let’s just say that Robin got a little touchy feely with Franky in an effort to convince him to join the crew.” Nami replied. She had a sly look on her face even as Robin blushed brightly. She couldn’t keep herself from laughing as a look of realization dawn on Tamara’s face and the seamstress soon doubled over howling in both laughter and pain. Her sides felt as if they were going to split. “ My work here is done.”

“ I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a treasure in my hands.” Robin purred with a wink. This only served to lengthen Tamara’s peels of laughter.

A knock at the library door quieted all three. They hadn’t told anyone they were going to be here for the night. The door opened a minute later to reveal Franky. “ Sorry to bother you ladies but…” he began, though all three of them looked as if they were trying to keep from laughing. Even Robin’s lower lip was trembling and a small snort escaped her. What the hell had just happened in here? “...ooookay. Has anyone seen Sanji? Usopp and I are trying to fix one of the pumps in the engine room and he was the only one besides Tamara not slated for watch tonight. We really need the two of you to take over for us while we get this fixed. We’ll take over the minute we’re done however.”“ Damn.” she groused. Duty called. Well, now that she had had a chance to cool her ire, it would be a little more bearable. “ He’s not in bed?”

Franky shook his head. “ There aren’t many places that he would be in all honesty.” he said knowingly. He wasn’t in bed, here in the library, or in the kitchen. “ Keep looking. If you find him, please tell him that I’ll meet him up in the crow’s nest then.” Tamara’s brow furrowed in annoyance. Now she had to get a raincheck on the girls night they had been having.

“ It’s fine, Tam.” Nami said with a smile, divining her friend’s thoughts almost immediately. “ We’ll clean up in here and try to reschedule for another night. Sound good?”

Tamara nodded and she walked out of the library. It was a quick climb up the rigging, the night was fairly cool and still. She'd love to just perch on top of the roof for a bit to watch the stars. She opened the hatch to climb up further and Tamara paused her movements.

Sanji was already here.

Her eyes couldn't stop watching him as his leg flew out towards an invisible opponent, and Tamara couldn't keep herself from licking her lips. He was shirtless for the moment, dressed in a loose fitting pair of shorts that showed off his long, lean legs to her appreciative eye. He was honestly the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on, his body was the perfect mix of strength and speed. Tamara knew how unreal Sanji's strength had become in the last five years since she had left Baratie.She had witnessed it first hand just a few days ago when he had moved faster than the blink of an eye to protect her." Are you just going to stay there on the ladder?" Sanji teased, though he had not missed a beat as he kept moving.

" I'm not adverse to the idea. You shouldn't be moving around like that too much, you know." Tamara replied. She could tell he had been at this a while thanks to the fine sheen his skin had. It made her think of all the times she had made him that sweaty too.  _Dammit, now is not the time to be having such lusty musings._  she thought, mentally scolded herself. Not that she could help it though, Sanji was a wonderful and attentive lover who liked to give one hundred and ten percent with a gorgeous fucking body.

" You know as well as I do this isn't all that strenuous on me." Sanji chuckled. He paused his movements to help Tamara up fully into the room and he pulled her in close to kiss her.

" I'm still upset about this morning." she grumped a little. Tamara was more upset with herself than him for busting his stitches when she had gotten a little rough.

" I'll be fine." Sanji said with a smile. Besides, he liked it when she took what she wanted every now and again. He cupped Tamara's cheek affectionately and she nuzzled his palm. " Did you have any plans for tomorrow?"

Tamara shook her head. " No. I checked over the sails today and they look great, and anything else that needed to be done is complete. I'm going to see if Nami will let me pick up some leather while we're here. I came across a nice little shop that sells it and it's top notch. I'm thinking of a little bit of a wardrobe change while we're traveling."

" Care to drop any hints? You know I'll love whatever you choose of course." Sanji purred flirtatiously. Tamara laughed and she gave him a gentle squeeze. He was so full of life it was hard to imagine that he was still injured.

" Nope. You get to be surprised with the rest of them." she replied. She stood on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss and Sanji hummed happily at the contact.

" Does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked her playfully.

" Not by a long shot, but you're getting there. Just don't go pulling another stunt like you did this morning and I'm sure you'll be in the clear soon enough." Tamara replied. She pulled away from him and Sanji pulled his shirt back on after a moment. " I wonder how everyone's doing..."

" On Baratie?" Sanji asked her. Tamara nodded and he smiled. " I'm sure they're fine. I miss them too."

" Do you think this will ever end? All this needless violence I mean. I'm still trying to rack my brain as to why Magnus would do such a thing..." The melancholy in her voice pulled at his heart and Sanji sighed heavily as he grabbed a cigarette. " I don't even know if Aden is still here on Sensenbor Island. It's been five years since he was sent here. What if he left, and I have no clues to his whereabouts?"

" I know it will someday, Tamara. As for Aden, we'll find out for sure when that smith gets back into town. His apprentice said he was only going to be gone for a day or two right? Maybe he'll be back tomorrow and you can find out." Sanji offered.

Tamara nodded once again, clearly wrapped up in her thoughts. Sanji couldn't blame her. He knew how heavily everything had been weighing on her since she had decrypted that hidden message from her father. " I've been meaning to ask you for a while now...I know you and Zoro have been helping me, but there's something I want to learn. Can you teach me the Skywalk? I want every edge possible when it comes to Magnus."

Sanji chuckled a little. " You're going to have to get faster before you can do that, but I can teach you." he replied. Sanji knew Tamara could do it, she had been so driven to get stronger lately.

He had the utmost belief that when the time came, Tamara was going to beat Magnus, devil fruit powers and all.

 

* * *

 

The sound of metal against metal was like music to his ears. It meant Dean was still hard at work. Good. At least the boy had kept busy like he had promised for the few days he had been gone. Jairo walked up to the forge with a small smile on his face. " Oi, did you get that sword done yet?" he asked as he looked over to his apprentice.

The young man looked up from his work in surprise, though a smile split across his face. " Gramps! I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow!" Dean exclaimed happily. " By the way, a young woman came looking for you a couple of days ago."

Jairo smirked. " Oh really now? Did she say why?"

Dean shook his head. " No. Only that she was sure that she was going to need your skills for whatever it was she needed." the young man replied. " The claymore is over on the rack, I got a head start on something else though."

Jairo walked over to the forge and his brow quirked in curiosity. " Are you sure about this Dean? I thought you never wanted to work on that sword again."

" You said this blade belonged to my father. I can't explain why, but I felt the urge to fix it after she came here. She's Denebran, I know that much." Dean replied. An ornate blade that had been visibly broken in three pieces was currently sitting on the anvil, and the cracks in the blade were slowly disappearing every time the hammer came down. It felt as if pieces of him were healing every time he brought the tool down on the red hot metal, felt as it he were reforging his spirit at the same time as the shattered blade. " She cooked up some lunch for us the other day, all of my favorites...It was as if she knew some how." Again the thought of how familiar she was came to mind. Why did he feel as if he knew her? Those eyes...Those eyes were so hauntingly familiar.

Jairo was all the more curious now. Dean would know if she were Denebran as he came from the same country. Who was this young woman who hailed from the north blue? " Do you know what ship she's on?" He asked. Dean shook his head. " Should be easy enough to find them though. They're part of the Strawhat crew." He replied nonchalantly.Jairo laughed loudly as he took his seat at the table. Dean hated pirates with a passion, yet now he was willing to help some? Just who was this girl so he could shake her hand? " They're that personable for a bunch of pirates, hm?"

" The girl that came by a couple days ago is at least. Didn't care too much for the other guy. Something about his was rubbing me wrong I guess." Dean laughed as he rubbed back of his neck and he looked towards the town. " Honestly though, I can't explain it but the young woman that was here seemed so familiar to me...I would remember a pair of eyes like that without a doubt." Dean began hammering away at the sword again with relish and he smiled to himself. This sword was practically telling him it was time for it to be whole again. He was ready to be whole again too. Even if that meant never seeing the old man again.

" Do you remember what I told you Dean?" Jario's voice was contemplative behind him as he carried on in his work.

" The day I finished this sword, I would no longer be your apprentice." Dean replied softly. " I know...It's time." He plunged the sword into the water and he looked it over. Dean was finally ready.

 

* * *

  
  
Sanji and Tamara were walking arm in arm as they strolled through the marketplace again and the two were borderline giddy as they talked in hushed tones. Sanji was taking great delight in the bright smile on Tamara's face, beside the fact that he had such a breathtaking woman on his arm. He had felt some men shoot him jealous glares, but Sanji paid them no mind. After all, they had every right to be jealous.

Tamara pulled Sanji towards the forest and he followed with a slight roll of his eyes. " Do we have to get right to business? I was hoping we could have had a date." He grumbled petulantly. Why did women always have to do things the roundabout way? He paused a moment, forcing Tamara to stop and he pulled her flush against him. " I daresay there's a couple of places just waiting for us too..."" Who says we can't? It might take a couple days for what I need done anyway." Tamara purred consolingly. " It'll be smarter in the long run to do this first and then we can do whatever the hell we please from there." She stroked his chin as she spoke knowing full well the effect it was having on Sanji. Hell, she could feel his arousal pressing into her hip the longer he had her nestled against him. Sanji thought that over for a second and he gave her a small grin. " Okay then. Let's get this done and over with." Besides, he could hear the sounds of a waterfall to the left of them. Maybe he could convince her to go skinny dipping for a bit.Tamara smiled and she gave him a sensuous kiss for the concession. She knew Chopper had given him the okay for his regular activity earlier as Sanji was a fast healer. She wondered what his secret was, as he hadn't been eating the same thing as the rest of the crew at meal times for the last couple of days.  _No...There is no way in hell that a man like Sanji would ever go there._ Tamara thought absently. " Thanks hun. I promise we won't be long."  
  


 

* * *

  
  
Jairo was smoking his pipe when he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. " I'll be right back Dean." He said nonchalantly. The old man grunted as he got to his feet, mumbling a curse about old age, and Jairo made his way to the front. Sure enough, there was a couple coming towards the cottage. " You two didn't get lost did you?"

 " No sir, we didn't." Tamara replied as she came to a stop in front of the old man. He hadn't really aged much since the last time she had seen him. That had been seven, almost eight  years ago." What's your business here then?" Jairo grumped. These two looked like they belonged somewhere else entirely then near his forge. There was something familiar about the young woman however. Jairo's brow furrowed a little as he kept staring intently at her face. She had been in the paper with Old Grigori. Hadn't he just seen that old coot a year or two ago when the tailor had come here on vacation? The two of them had been friends for decades, stemming from when they had both lived in Denebra. Wasn't she his employee? Jairo was sure of it as he kept mulling it over. She even had the scar Harrod had mentioned his protege had. " Aren't you Genevieve Cygne? The renowned dressmaker working at Harrod's in Romoria?"

Tamara smirked. Oh this man was going to have a heart attack she was sure. Maybe they should have brought Chopper with them. " I need to get my sword reforged. It was broken in a fight five years ago. I was referred to you by a couple of smiths in town." She replied, completely skirting around his question as she drew the box holding the shards of her blade from her pack.

" Why would a seamstress have need of a sword, or one as delicate as you need to fight to begin with?" Jairo pressed intently. That drew a derisive snort from Sanji and the old smith shot the young man a scowl. The nerve of that boy! He leveled his gaze on Tamara though he took the box from her. She again hadn't answered. " Speak up girl. I don't have time for games."

" You'll get your answers if you open the box, sir." Tamara replied cryptically, though her gaze had not left his. There was something hauntingly, and saddeningly familiar about those eyes of hers.

Funny, hadn’t Dean mentioned a girl like that just earlier when he had gotten back?Jairo grunted as he looked at the box in his hands and he shook his head as he opened it. Pushing away the fine blue velvet, Jairo's eyes went wide at the sight before him. He knew this blade, hell he had crafted it himself! His head snapped up to look at Tamara again and he saw tears shining in her ocean blue orbs as recognition dawned on him. Of course her eyes would look so familiar. She had her grandmother's eyes, though the girl before him favored her mother in looks. " You were presumed dead..." he whispered as he closed the box. " It was thought that you had died the night the Golden Swan was attacked." He had read every article about the decimation of the Leonias royal line. Jairo set the box down with shaking hands and he walked over to Tamara. Wordlessly, the old man pulled her into a hug. " I haven't seen you in the last seven years. You have no idea much of a relief it is to know you're alive." He whispered emotionally.

Tamara returned the hug and she wiped away her tears. " Can you fix her?"

Jairo scoffed at the question. " Without a doubt. Please tell me that blood belonged to who I think it did." He asked as he took the box in hand.

" Most of it is his. There's something else I need to ask you Jairo. Do you know where I can find Aden? My parents wrote me a letter telling me that he's still alive and that he's here on Sensenbor Island." Tamara asked in return. The look on her face was one of sheer trepidation, though the young man beside her looked unfazed at a first glance. Behind the cigarette he was smoking, Jairo could see that same nervousness.

Jairo smiled. Of all the questions she had to ask, it would be of her brother. “ I can’t really say right now. But you can rest assured he is safe. However, he doesn’t honestly know the truth, though I’m at a loss as to how you found out, princess.”

“ My parents told me in their last letter. They told me I could find him here. It’s imperative that I find him as soon as possible, Jairo. Just as important for me getting the blade reforged.” Tamara said, worry evident in her tone.

Jairo nodded. “ All in good time. I promise you, Aden is more than safe. I’ll take you to him as soon as we get your blade repaired. For now, both of you need to head on off. It’ll take two or three days for us to get this done and done right. I’ll have Dean bring it by when it’s finished.” Jairo replied in an attempt to reach a compromise. In all honesty, he didn’t want Dean sidetracked from what he was doing right now.

With a heavy swallow, Tamara nodded. “ Okay. Thank you Jairo. I can’t wait to hold that sword in my hand again.” She looked at the box in his hands nervously. It would be the first time in five years that she had parted with the broken blade. If all went well, she’d have it back; whole once more, in her hand before they left.

Jairo’s face was grim as he watched Sanji gently steer Tamara back the way they had come from. He was fairly certain Dean wouldn’t know who this blade belonged to now, but he would damn well know it was made by Jairo’s very hand. If anything, he could always say it was a recreation made to look like his work. There was plenty of them out there.

Jairo as determined that the boy not find out before it was time, his hand was more than likely about to be forced.


	7. Seeking and Finding

Jairo settled the box heavily against the counter as he came back around by the forge. Dare he actually tell him after this long? What of the other news he had for the twins?

Neither of them knew that...

" Gramps!" Dean called out at the top of his lungs. He had been trying to get the old man's attention for nearly five minutes. What in the blue hell had been on the old man's mind?!

Jairo sighed heavily and he shook his head. " I'm sorry, Dean. I didn't mean to be so sidetracked. The young woman you told me of came to drop this off." He said wearily. How was he going to explain all of this? Jairo suddenly felt much older than his ninety three years. Normally he didn't feel even half his age, but the weight that had been laid upon Jairo's shoulders was a heavy one.  _Damn you Percy..._ he thought miserably.

Dean cleaned his hands as he came over to the table and he lifted the lid to the box. His blue eyes went wide in shock even as his heart started hammering all the harder in his chest. He knew this blade, most importantly who it belonged to. " I can't believe it..." he whispered, though he was still stunned at the revelation crashing over him.

It couldn't be possible, could it?

" Gramps..." Dean began, though his voice was wavering between nervousness and disbelief. "...This can't be Cygnus. Please tell me that's not Cygnus..."

Jairo sighed heavily even as he lit his pipe again. " We've got a lot to talk about and not all of it is going to be easy." Jairo whispered. His eyes narrowed a little on the young man that resembled his father so much and he waved a hand to the bench. So much for keeping his focus where it needed to be for him. Not only that, the boy looked as if he were already almost done as it stood. There was only one more sliver to reattach and then all it needed was a good sharpening and polish. "  You may as well sit down..."

" I'm not going to like this, am I?" Dean asked warily even as he took his seat.

Jairo shrugged in answer. There really was no telling just how well he would take the news.

There was only one way to find out.

 

* * *

  
Tamara felt a chill run the length of her spine and she shivered nigh instantly when it did. Something wasn't right, the wood had suddenly gotten too quiet. " Sanji?" She questioned nervously. This was the kind of calm that normally preceded an ambush.

The man at her side barely nodded in answer. " I noticed it too. They won't attack right now. They don't have everything they want in place yet. That much I can tell." He whispered in reply. Sanji's bright blue eyes scanned the surrounding area and he exhaled a bit more forcefully than he would have liked. It gave away that he was feeling apprehensive as well.

Tamara looked back up the hill towards the smithy. She couldn’t help but feel worried for both Dean and Jairo. They were a far ways off from the town proper and anything could happen to them without anyone knowing. She worried her bottom lip a little even as she felt Sanji press her forward.

“ Don’t worry about those two, Mara.” Sanji said with a slight grin on his face. He could tell what was on her mind easily enough. “ Anyone that can make weapons that beautiful has the skill to use them. Both Dean and the old man will be fine.”

Tamara sighed heavily even as she shook her head. “ I don’t like this, Sanji.” she whispered. “ I can’t help but feel that I’m being tailed all over again and that those two are going to be innocent bystanders in all this.”

Sanji shook his head and he rubbed her back consolingly. “ Then we’ll know for certain in three days then, won’t we?” he murmured as he took a long drag off of his cigarette.

 

* * *

  
 

Three days...

Tamara paced wildly in her craft room. She had to wait three days to know what was going on. There were men watching the smithies, and she didn't like it.

" Calm down, Mara. There's not much else we can do." Sanji sighed as settled his hands on her shoulders. What he really needed was a cigarette, but Tamara wasn't about to let him smoke in here. The smell would get caught in the fabric, and that was only one item on the lists of reasons why.

" I can't calm down that easily, Sanji! I don't..." Tamara began, shouldering her way out of his gentle grasp.

" You think I like it any better?! That old man is the only lead you have to your brother!" Sanji snapped back, completely interrupting her. He took a deep, calming breath and Sanji allowed his head to fall into his hands as he sat heavier than Luffy sinking in the ocean. " I'm sorry Mara..." he began, his voice thick with regret. He didn't like raising his voice to a lady. He was a gentleman after all. " Can we take this out to the deck?"

Tamara was caught off guard by the tone in Sanji's voice. The desperation that was there was all but palpable. He was feeding off of her stress and he wasn't allowed to smoke down here as he could the rest of the ship. Not only was her craft room a smoke free zone, but Usopp's and Franky's labs also had highly flammable materials as well. No smoking in the belly of the Thousand Sunny was a very strictly enforced rule on the ship. What they needed was a way for both of them to get their minds off of all this for now. A slow smile split her face as she lifted his chin, an idea having come to mind. " I'll do you one better. Why don't we head back to town? This way we can have that date you've been wanting to take me on."

They hadn't gone on their date, as Tamara had all but sped them back to the Sunny after they had left Jairo's forge. She honestly owed it to him, as he had been asking her for days.

Sanji leaned in to give Tamara a slow, loving kiss as he gave her a half hearted grin. " Sounds good." He replied sweetly. " We'll stop at the kitchen and I'll pack us a picnic lunch."

" Not me. I'm going to our room to grab our bathing suits." Tamara purred promisingly in his ear.

Sanji's face flushed even as perverse thoughts began flying through his head. Damn she had him, hook, line, and sinker. He immediately followed Tamara from the craft room towards their bedroom. Their date was going to have to wait for a little bit.

 

* * *

 

Tamara sighed happily as she leaned into Sanji. For as stressed as she had been earlier, she was feeling really damn good now. Sanji had brought a bottle of wine with them, along with cheeses and other little finger foods for them to snack on as they sat and watched the sunset. Tamara nuzzled his neck lovingly as he blew out a plume of smoke, sending it snaking upwards in entrancing, wispy tendrils. " This has been a wonderful date." she whispered contentedly.

Sanji smiled as he pressed a sweet kiss to her temple. " I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mara. It turned out better than I thought it would." he admitted.

Tamara couldn't contain the chuckle that bubbled forth. " It's your own fault that you're a perv, Sanji." she chortled. " I wasn't even actively trying to put your mind back into the gutter."

Sanji laughed, his rich chuckles a soothing balm to her. His happiness was something Tamara cherished above all else. " That's my secret, Mara. My mind is always in the gutter." he purred against her ear.

Tamara rolled her eyes even as she shoved him a little with her shoulder. " You totally ripped that off of the movie we just watched." she snorted derisively. She couldn't help but chuckle as Sanji shrugged it off, as if to say 'So what?', and he put his cigarette out.

" I miss Romoria in all honesty." Sanji whispered, changing the topic. " You think Mr. Harrod's doing alright?"

Tamara nodded even as she sighed a little wistfully. She missed the little port town herself. She had lived there for nearly five years after all. " That old codger is tougher than he looks. He's former navy." she sighed out.

Sanji's brow furrowed. " Then why was he so supportive of you joining a pirate crew then?"

Tamara smiled ruefully. " He knew that you guys are genuinely good guys. He also knows that not all those who are in the navy are good either. We all walk a fine line with our morals. Mr. Harrod would rather see me happy and with a good crew than with some rear admiral douche bag." she replied with a slight grimace. Tamara seriously held no love for the navy and its soldiers after what happened to her in the aftermath of Magnus' coup de tat. A wistful sigh escaped her again as she thought of the man who had saved her life five years ago. " I wonder if I'll ever see Bon Clay again." She pondered aloud, her gaze watching the light refract beautifully off of the waves as the sun sank lower and lower on the horizon.

Sanji stiffened at the name of the former member of Baroque Works. " How do you know Bon Clay?!" he asked, turning Tamara to him by her shoulders.

Tamara's brow quirked in curiosity. " How do you know Bon Clay?" she mimicked. He knew the crossdressing master of disguise? Now this she had to hear.

" That's not fair Mara, I asked you first." Sanji retorted, his brow furrowed a bit. Tamara's perfectly arched eyebrow was still skyward in her wonderment, her blue gaze settled on him in a laughing manner. Good lord, he could see the amusement shining there. He rolled his eyes as she stayed silent. Tamara wasn't obviously going to tell him until he answered her. " Fine. I fought him back in Alabasta."

" He's that marine that helped me and took me to the Kamabakka Kingdom to help me heal. Don't you remember me telling you guys about what happened after I left Baratie?" Tamara asked him, her voice clearly mirthful. Her bottom lip trembled as she fought to rein in the peels of laughter that were trying to break through. This was rich! Sanji had met her rescuer?!

Sanji grimaced openly at the mention of the queer kingdom. Oh lord. She had been there? Well, at least she had been safe from any advances. All the men there had girlish hearts. " I instinctively tune out anything related to the two years I spent in hell." he grumbled.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back for Tamara. Rich laughter echoed in the evening air, and Sanji groaned openly. " You spent two years there?!" she guffawed, rolling on her back all the while. Her sides were already starting to hurt from laughing so hard so soon. "` How did they not get you into a dress?!"

Sanji's nostrils flared. " I fought like hell to keep that shitty dress off of me!" he retorted. " I made a deal with Ivankoff, two deals really. The first was that I had to fight to keep myself out of... ** _that_**..." Sanji couldn't help the growl that left him even as he thought of how those queers had managed to get him into a dress and heels willingly. If he had his way, Tamara would  ** _never_** know that little tidbit. Not even the rest of the crew knew about that. " And the second was to defeat all ninety nine grandmasters of the newkama kenpo technique to secure their special recipes." This last part he said with a touch of pride and Sanji gave Tamara a cheeky grin. " Needless to say, I won every single one of them."

Tamara's blue eyes went wide in shock and realization. " I knew it! You were using the hormone recipes to help boost your healing rate!" she exclaimed. This wasn't fair! They hadn't offered her a chance at those recipes! Then again, it was probably for the best that she hadn't. Tamara's wounds had been just shy of fatal after all and it took her a long time to heal after such extensive trauma. It had taken a little over two months to even move without pain, even with them feeding her the restorative recipes.

It was said that the newkama had no qualms in sharing their food after all, but actually giving someone the recipes was an entirely different matter. Her beloved was one hell of a lucky bastard!

Sanji smirked even as he pulled Tamara in even closer. " And I did that because of you, you realize."

Tamara chuckled even as she shook her head. " You did it because you didn't want to wait so long to get me between the sheets." she purred in retort. She hummed happily as Sanji's lips settled over her own, and she felt her head go light as he slowly amped up the passion he was feeding into her. Her tongue curled around his, she couldn't even remember when he had deepened the kiss, but damn if it wasn't heaven! She settled against the blanket they were sitting on, pulling him down with her as Tamara wasn't too keen on letting this end.

Sanji chuckled sensually as he pulled away from her and he petted her hair affectionately. " I certainly hear no complaints from the peanut gallery either." he whispered.

Tamara laughed softly at that, shaking her head all the while. " You're right, because I'm just happy that you're alive after all that." She kissed him quickly this time and Sanji gently drew her back into a sitting position so that she didn't get dizzy. Her hands caressed his torso as she was drawn into his lap and Tamara sighed happily as she got comfortable in Sanji’s embrace. “ You know, three days doesn’t seem so long now…”

Sanji couldn’t help but chuckle a little even as Tamara’s head settled under his chin. He loved that she fit against him so easily. “ I don’t want to wait so long either, but we still have to wait until the pose has logged the island.” Sanji murmured in reply. Sanji didn’t want to admit it, but he was ready to get on the search for her brother. He had hoped that the old man would have given them the information that they had needed about Aden then, but Jairo had been less than forthcoming.

Nonetheless, Sanji would not allow the Sunny to leave port until Jairo had given them the information Tamara needed. It was time for her to finally meet her brother face to face.

 

* * *

 

Dean shook his head in disbelief as the door shut behind him. The last seven years, and Jairo had not been allowed to say anything until now. There were a few things he could take solace in in all of this.

A small tear graced his cheek even as he smiled in utter relief.

She was alive. And she was here...

Dean looked into the mirror above his dresser, and he took a steadying breath. How had he not realized the similarities between them sooner? They had the same eyes, almost the same hair, and their noses?

At least that trait they had inherited from their mother.

Dean couldn't believe it was her. After all this time, she had been at this very forge, and both of them had been nothing short of oblivious as to who the other was. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that they weren't cousins, but brother and sister. It made more sense than he wanted to admit.

Jessa had refused to bear Magnus an heir after all.

Dean mentally smacked himself. He had known early on that he had been adopted, but Jessa had never said a word as to who his parents were. Then again, Magnus was a slimeball who had managed to find out anything and everything.

Even then, he hadn't realized the depravities his foster father had been capable of, and it chilled Dean to his core.

Another thing he could take solace in was that Jessa, Marion, and a few others of the royal family had managed to survive one way or another. The line wasn't decimated as it had been publicized and they had been waiting in the shadows all this time for Tamara to find him. They would begin what was to be the last stage in the fight for their country.

At least no one could claim now that the Leonias clan was weak willed. It had taken all their strength to survive.

" Aden?" Jairo called out through the door, startling the young man from his reverie. " Rest up. We have a lot of work to do over the next few days. You're going to have to leave with them after all. And we need to make sure we clear the wood of any scouts before I take you to Penkodashi Village. There’s someone else here on the island that both of you need to see before you lot set out."

" I will Gramps. As for the scouts, I'll go into town tonight or tomorrow and see if we can't recruit Tamara and the crew she's on. It wouldn't hurt to have back up in this particular endeavor." Dean replied, though his voice was thick and his mouth felt numb as he tried to speak. It was nothing short of surreal to hear the old man call him by his true name after almost a decade. " It's gonna take a long while to get used to that again." He murmured to himself.

Good lord, these next few days were not going to be over soon enough.

 

* * *

 

Tamara laughed brightly as Robin and Nami bickered a little on what traits made for a good bed partner. While it wasn't known to others, the raven haired beauty found a bed partner in Franky of all people.

" Seriously Robin!" Nami gesticulated wildly, sloshing her beer a little as her arms waved in wild windmills for emphasis. " Usopp or Luffy I could understand, but Franky? He's mostly metal and he's huge! What makes him such a great lay?"

Robin winked coyly over her own beer as she leaned over the table. " He's got a vibrate setting." She purred knowingly.

Tamara snorted hard even as she took a gulp of her own beverage, sending alcohol through her nostrils in a rather impressive spray before she collapsed to the floor in raucous, pain filled laughter.

" Vibrate..." Nami began, though her face was quickly growing redder than her hair."...setting?!" She squeaked out the last word and she covered her face quickly. " Oh god! He's worse than Sanji!"

" Not..." Tamara wheezed as she tried to climb back into her seat. One look at Nami as she cleared the edge of the table foiled her drunken attempt as she slid back down in riotous guffaws. " Oh god! Your face is priceless!" She cried humorously as she held her ribs tight. Tamara was afraid she was going to crack a few from how hard she was laughing. At least she wasn't alone in her mirth. Robin had tears streaming down her own cheeks as well.

" At least I didn't spray beer out of my nose!" Nami retorted hotly.

" You asked!" Tamara gasped, still laughing at her friend's expense. Oh lord! Nami had turned redder than her hair and it wasn't restricted to her face! It was a full on body flush! She grasped her chair again, trying to pull herself back into it. She finally felt her laughter settle to giggle as she took a tentative sip of her ale. " You should know by now that the gloves are off whenever the three of us are drinking."

Nami groaned even as her head hit the table with a loud thunk. Tamara was right. Robin had only answered her question after all. " You were saying?" She needed to switch the topic to Sanji in some way. When Tamara looked at her blankly, she expounded. " You were going to say why Franky wasn't worse than Sanji."

Tamara nodded in understanding even as she took a deeper drink from her beverage. " There is no way Franky is worse than Sanji. You guys have no clue what's in his 'goody bag', and let me tell you...There's some kinky,  ** _kinky_** shit in there! Padded cuffs! Silk ropes, a paddle and riding crop, some..." Tamara couldn't help but blush as she thought of some of the dildos Sanji had in there. He had used one or two of them on her at one point or another while pleasuring her. " That's just for starters." She ended meekly, flushing brightly herself.

" What other kind of kinky stuff? Anything you can recommend for Zoro and I?" Nami teased, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. It was fun to hear what kind of toys the other couple indulged themselves in, with Tamara's slight embarrassment being the biggest clincher of course.

Tamara smirked devilishly even as she thought of something. " Well, Sanji picked up this rather unique cockring the other day and we haven't had a chance to test it yet. But, it would allow him to give me double the pleasure without the guilt of pulling in a third party if you catch my drift." Tamara purred, smirking herself as even Robin blushed a little at the thought of such a naughty toy. " And like Franky, it also has a vibrate setting."

 

* * *

 

Sanji turned towards the lift even as he heard raucous cackles echo up from the aquarium bar below. The ladies were drinking and making a girl's night of it, considering that their last few attempts had been foiled. " What in the world are those three talking about?" He murmured pensively. Sanji couldn't deny he was curious, but he wasn't about to invade their time together. It was important to let them have their special friendship after all. Tamara didn't have any other women she could readily turn to for anything. It was also healthy for them to spend time apart in such a way. They couldn't spend every waking moment together after all, no matter how in love they were.

Their bubbly laughter continued to carry up into the galley as he finished the preparations for tomorrow and Sanji couldn’t help but smile and giggle himself when Tamara’s shrill cackle dominated the sounds for a moment. Maybe he could find out just what had the three of them in conniptions after he got Tamara to bed. He could certainly use a laugh.

 

* * *

 

Tamara was still giggling madly after she made it back into her room. Her tipsiness was starting to wear off, but she couldn’t help but remain mirthful. Nami’s face had been utterly priceless once Robin had made her revelation as to whom she was knocking boots with. If the raven haired woman was happy, then more power to her. It didn’t hurt matters that the two of them were close in age and while not as old as Brook, they were still almost a decade older than the rest of the crew. It was a fairly good fit. Not only that, but Franky was probably loving the perks to their more intimate liaisons as well.

Robin could multiply any part of her body after all.

Sanji was sitting up against the headboard, reading a cookbook by the looks of it, when she looked over to him and she smiled softly. It wasn’t often that she had a chance to speak as openly with the other women; considering that the crew was two thirds men, and it was cathartic to say the least. Nami and Robin had demanded to know just how kinky her fiance was, and Tamara took smug satisfaction in telling them just what she was treated to behind closed doors.

Her fingers began loosening the buttons on her blouse before she had even realized it, and Tamara silently made her way to the bed, quietly stripping the entire way. She couldn’t stop the small laugh that bubbled forth when Sanji jumped when the foot of the bed dipped with her weight, as he was more than likely expecting her to gather her things for a bath or shower first before immediately coming to bed.

Going to bed was the last thing on Tamara’s mind at the moment. It had been ever since she had told Nami and Robin about that new toy Sanji had purchased from the red light district the other day. She was curious now, and like she had told the others, it was double the fun without the guilt of cheating.

Not only that, Sanji hadn’t claimed her that way either. How would it feel for him to do that? How would he make her feel? Would Sanji take his time easing her into it, or would he…

No, Sanji would never do that to her. He wouldn’t hurt her for his own gains.

“ Mara?” Sanji questioned, his tone wary and inquisitive at the same time. She had an unmistakable gleam in her eyes and he placed a marker in his book, only to set it down on the nightstand.

Tamara gave him a sultry smile even as she crawled into his lap and her lips closed over his as her legs settled on either of his hips. Sanji groaned into her mouth the minute she did, and he went from flaccid to hard in record time under her. She rolled her hips against his invitingly, and Sanji rolled with her.

“ Got’cha…” he whispered in understanding against her lips when Tamara broke away to breathe. He turned her over, pinning her to the bed as he stretched out over her, and Sanji purred in the back of his throat as Tamara’s fingers tangled in his hair. Her nails lightly raked his scalp and his nostrils flared a little at the lightning she sent coursing through him at such a simple touch. “ I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what caused this mood?”

“ Girl talk.” Tamara purred, only to give a high pitched cry as Sanji expertly rolled her nipple between his fingers. “ More specifically a certain something you purchased yesterday…” She couldn’t keep herself from moaning as his lips pressed reverent kisses against her neck. Everywhere he touched her ignited.

Sanji’s movements paused at the mention of the latest addition to his goody bag. He was trying to save that particular toy for somewhere down the line, when Tamara was more comfortable with not just him, but herself. “ You’re sure about that?” he questioned. She was slightly inebriated after all, and he wouldn’t take advantage of her that way.

Tamara pulled Sanji down to her, claiming his mouth heatedly and entwining her tongue with his. “ I’m not that drunk, darling.” she purred, savoring the glow that was now in his eyes. Good lord above, Sanji really was such a damn fine specimen of a man. His body was perfect, his hands nothing short of gentle and smooth despite the callouses and burns on them. She was the luckiest woman on the planet to be able to feel his touch, his caress.

Sanji groaned in appreciation as his mouth closed around her nipple, his tongue and teeth both teasing and worrying the pebbled flesh in alternating increments. “ We’re making a night of this then?”

“ Neither of us have watch tonight…” she moaned provocatively. Tamara’s sultry tone was really shooting right down to Sanji’s cock, making him twitch every time she spoke.

“ Then your wish is my command, my princess…” Sanji purred in return. He pulled away from her body for only a moment, long enough to reach under the bed. In a flash, his goody bag was on the nightstand and Sanji chuckled at the sight of the warmth that had filled Tamara’s eyes. “ No worries, Mara. It’ll be your pick as usual.”

Tamara sat up as she pulled the bag over to her. There was something be to be said for adapting to some of Sanji’s kinks, the biggest one being the way he liked to restrain and blindfold her. Maybe they would do that again tonight…

Sanji could barely contain his excitement as he watched Tamara pull out everything she wanted to use tonight. The unique cockring was the first to come out, along with lube and a suppository that she would need to use before they started in on their fun. Next, out came the padded cuffs followed by the blindfold.

“ Are you sure?” Sanji asked carefully. Oh damn, this was going to be fun tonight!

Tamara thought for a moment before shaking her head. She reached back in and after a few moments she had found what she was looking for. This made Sanji blush just a bit. It was a strap on harness and one of the dildos that went with it. “ Now I’m sure.” she purred as she slinked over to where her lover was seated.

Sanji looked over everything and he smiled. Well, there was no time like the present then. He schooled his features a bit as Tamara got to her feet. “ I suggest you get yourself ready while I get this set up.” Sanji ordered, his voice sensually deep and authoritative. Tamara couldn’t explain why, but she loved to hear him like that.

This time wasn’t any different.

It took them all of ten minutes to get everything ready.

Tamara sat on the bed, patiently waiting, though her temperature was rising the more she looked at the items she had chosen for their play. Without warning, Sanji slipped the blindfold over her eyes as his lips latched onto her neck from behind. Tamara gasped at the sensation it imparted and she moaned wantonly as Sanji’s fingers began to ghost over her skin.

" Lay down slowly please, Mara..." he whispered, his voice nothing short of sinful as Sanji nuzzled her neck a moment. " You know I love being able to look at that beautiful body of yours.” He helped her stretch out over the mattress, and Sanji gently lifted both arms over her head. Her breasts were thrust upwards toward him, and Sanji’s eyes glittered desirously at the sight. “ You’re perfect in every single way, you know that?” One finger barely caressed one of the melon shaped mounds and it ghosted over a puckered nipple, drawing a gasp of delight from his lover. It turned into a wanton moan when he gently pinched it, sending pleasurable sparks through her body. His other hand set to work on attaching the padded cuffs to Tamara’s wrists, and Sanji licked his lips in anticipation.

There was no doubt in his mind that things were about to get all the more spicey tonight.

No sooner than was Sanji getting ready to hook the cuffs up to their strap, a hurried knock echoed through the room, along with the jostle of the doorknob.

Thank god they had thought to lock it.

“ Don’t you fucking dare come in this room!” Tamara demanded, her voice becoming irate. “ What do you want?”

“ Tam, the young man from the forge is here asking to talk to you. He looks like he’s in a rush to be honest.” Came Zoro’s voice.

Sanji couldn’t help but scowl at the closed door. Even if he didn’t know what was going on behind the door, that stupid moss headed swordsman was making his life hell as always. Well, at least Sanji could take a little solace in the fact that Tamara was just as pissed that they were being interrupted.

“ I’ll be up in about five minutes.” Tamara growled. She could already feel Sanji releasing the bonds on her wrists and she pushed the blindfold up over her brow once her hands were free. “ What is up with us getting cockblocked at every turn nowadays?!”

Sanji chuckled, though he shared the sentiment completely. “ I don’t know Mara. Let’s see what this guy’s after. If it’s a night out with you, he can forget it. He’ll have to get through me first.”  Sanji drawled out, his brow furrowed in pre-emptive agitation. He didn’t like the idea of another man calling on his princess, especially not at this hour of the evening. “ C’mon hon, let’s get dressed again and see what the fuss is about.”

 

* * *

 

Zoro was eyeing Aden warily as the smith ran a whetstone down the blade in his hand. “ Is that the claymore you were working on the other day?” he asked blandly.

Aden shook his head with a small smile. He had finished reforging the blade earlier after everything had sunk in and it looked as beautiful as it had when it had sat on the hip of the monarch of Denebra. The blade was Orion, the Celestial Warrior, and Aden couldn’t help but swell with pride for a job well done. “ Nah, this is the project I was working on when Tamara came by to talk to Gramps earlier. He got back a day early, much to my surprise. In fact, he’s currently repairing her blade as we speak. It’ll only take him a couple days tops if I know him well enough.” he replied. Despite the fact that he was here to recruit the crew into helping him clear all the spies from the wood surrounding the shop had him feeling apprehensive, Aden was feeling very optimistic. Deeming it as sharp as it was going to get, Aden sheathed the blade at his hip again. Most of the crew had warned him that the two might be in a foul mood from being interrupted, and he wasn't going to chance them mistaking his blade being out as an attack.

It was a slim possibility, but one Aden wanted to avoid at all costs. Besides, he was sure that attacking would be the last thing on Tamara's mind once she recognized one of the sibling blades to her own. They held two out of the ten Stellar Blades, a set unique to the royal line of Denebra. 

“ Sanji, calm down. I already told Dean we’re getting married. He’s not here to try to woo me away from you.” hissed Tamara under her breath as she and Sanji exited out from the crew’s quarters. She smiled kindly as her gaze met Aden’s and he returned it brightly. “ You finished your wor…” She stopped short when she saw the blade sitting on his hip. “ Oh god…” Her gaze kept flitting between his face and the expertly repaired sword.

Sanji’s brow furrowed a little at Tamara’s sudden shift in mood. “ Mara? What’s going on?” he asked her softly. He grew even more alarmed when tears filled her eyes. Sanji was just about to round on Aden when Tamara began walking toward him. Confusion floored him when she cupped the other man’s cheeks gently before pulling him into a tight hug. One that was returned just as fiercly. Sanji would have broken them up, but he could see how emotional this was. This wasn’t a romantic rekindling between these two. He could feel it ran much deeper than that.

“ You mean to tell me that we spent the better part of the day together without recognizing one another?” she laughed tearfully, cupping Aden’s cheeks again before wiping the tears from them. “ God...You look just like dad when he was younger...I can’t believe I didn’t recognize the nose or eyes until now…”

“ Jairo always tells me that I favored mom more…” Aden admitted. He shook his head in disbelief. “ I keep asking myself how I didn’t see it either, but that’s neither here nor there now, Tammy.”

Tamara nodded. Aden had been the only one in her life that had ever been allowed to call her that. She turned to Sanji after a moment, then her gaze turned to the rest of the confused crew as she held one hand up as if presenting him. In a way she was, now that she thought on it. Only Zoro had met him under his alias Dean the other day, and she had never had a picture to reference him from for Sanji’s sake when they had been growing up together. The only other mention Aden had gotten from her was when she had filled in the rest of the crew on the contents of her parents last letter.

“ Everyone, this is Aden, my twin brother.”


End file.
